Epithelial tissue is one of the four main types of body tissue found in your Types of epithelial cells in your
n your body
organs and covers internal and external surfaces in your body. It has several
different structures and functions depending on where it is in your body.
You have many different kinds of epithelial tissue throughout your body. Some
examples of epithelial tissue include:
The outer layer of your skin (epidermis).
The lining of your intestines.
The lining of your respiratory tract.
The lining of your abdominal cavity.
Your sweat glands.
What are the different types of epithelial cells?
There are several different types of epithelial cells because epithelial tissues
have many different functions depending on where they are in your body.
Types of epithelial cells based on their shape
Different types of epithelial cells based on shape include:
•Squamous epithelium: Squamous epithelial cells are flat and sheet-like in
appearance.
•Cuboidal epithelium: Cuboidal epithelial cells are cube-like in appearance,
meaning they have equal width, height and depth.
•Columnar epithelium: Columnar epithelial cells are column-like in
appearance, meaning they are taller than they are wide.
Types of epithelial cells based on their arrangement
Epithelial tissue can also vary based on how the cells are arranged. The
descriptors, or adjectives, for the way the cells are arranged, include:
•Simple: A simple epithelium means that there’s only one layer of cells.
•Stratified: A stratified epithelium is made up of more than one layer of cells.
•Pseudostratified: A pseudostratified epithelium is made up of closely packed
cells that appear to be arranged in layers because they’re different sizes, but
there’s actually just one layer of cells.
Given the different shapes and types of layers of epithelial cells, there can be
several types of epithelial tissue, including:
•Simple squamous epithelium: This type of epithelium typically lines blood
vessels and body cavities and regulates the passage of substances into the
underlying tissue.
•Simple cuboidal epithelium: This type of epithelium is typically found in
glandular (secreting) tissue and kidney tubules.
•Simple columnar epithelium: This type of epithelium is often specialized for
absorption and usually has apical cilia or microvilli. These cells line your
stomach and intestines.
•Stratified squamous epithelium: This type of epithelium usually has
protective functions, including protection against microorganisms from
invading underlying tissue and/or protection against water loss. The outer layer
of your skin (the epidermis) is made of stratified squamous epithelial cells.
•Stratified cuboidal epithelium: This type of epithelium is not as common
and is found in the excretory ducts of your salivary and sweat glands.
•Stratified columnar epithelium: This type of epithelium is not as common
and is seen in the mucous membrane (conjunctiva) lining your eyelids, where
it’s both protective and mucus-secreting.
•Pseudostratified columnar epithelium: This type of epithelium lines your
upper respiratory tract and usually has a lot of cilia.
Epithelial cells based on specialized functions
Epithelial cells can also be categorized by the special functions they have,
including:
•Transitional epithelium: A transitional epithelium (also known as
urothelium) is made up of several layers of cells that become flattened when
stretched. It lines most of your urinary tract and allows your bladder to expand.
•Glandular epithelium: This type of epithelium is specialized to produce and
secrete (release) substances. It’s found in your glands, which are specialized
organs that can make, store and/or release substances such as hormones,
proteins and water.
•Olfactory epithelium: The olfactory epithelium, located within your nasal
cavity, contains olfactory receptor cells, which have specialized cilia
extensions. The cilia trap odor molecules you breathe in as they pass across the
epithelial surface. Information about the molecules is then transmitted from the
receptors to the olfactory bulb in your brain, where your brain then interprets
the smell.
MUSCLE TISSUE
 is composed of cells called muscle fibers
 is composed of cells that have the special ability to shorten or contract
in order to produce movement of the body parts. The muscle tissue is
highly cellular and is well supplied with blood vessels.
 The cells are long and slender so they are sometimes called muscle
fibers, and these are usually arranged in bundles or layers that are
surrounded by connective tissue.
TYPES:
 SKELETAL MUSCLE
 also known as voluntary muscle
 is attached to bones and contracts faster than other muscle
types. Its cylindrical, long fibers, arising from cell fusion, have
alternating light and dark bands, giving them a striated
appearance due to the position of actin and myosin filaments.
 SMOOTH MUSCLE
 found in the walls of organs and blood vessels
 lacks striations and forms layers with an irregular pattern. It is
involuntary and contracts more slowly than skeletal muscle,
allowing food to move along its lumen and blood vessels to
contract for longer periods.
 CARDIAC MUSCLE
 found in the heart's walls, pumps blood and accounts for
heartbeat.
 It combines smooth and skeletal muscle features, with
striations and involuntary contraction. Cardiac muscle cells
have a single, central nucleus and are branched, forming a
large interconnecting mass. They are bound at intercalated
disks.
CONNECTIVE TISSUE
 It is the most abundant and widely distributed tissue in complex
animals. It is quite diverse in structure and function, but, even so, all
types have three components:
 Specialized Cells
 Ground Substance
 Protein Fibers
All connective tissues have three factors in common;
1. They share a common origin.
2. Connective tissues also have different degrees of vascularity.
3. Mostly composed of nonliving material - the EXTRACELLULAR
MATRIX.
GROUND SUBSTANCE - It is a noncellular material that separates the cells
and varies in consistency from solid to semifluid to fluid. The fibers are of
three possible types.
 White Collagen Fibers
 Reticular Fibers
 Yellow Elastic Fibers
FIBROUS CONNECTIVE TISSUE - It is composed of parallel bundles of
collagen fibers. Both loose fibrous and dense fibrous connective tissues have
cells called fibroblasts.
LOOSE FIBROUS CONNECTIVE TISSUE - It supports the epithelium and
also many internal organs. It forms a protective covering enclosing many
internal organs.
ADIPOSE TISSUE - It serves as the body’s primary energy reservoir. It is
loose fibrous connective tissue composed mostly of enlarged fibroblasts that
store fat. These fibroblasts are called adipocytes.
DENSE FIBROUS CONNECTIVE TISSUE - It contains many collagen
fibers that are packed together. This type of tissue has more specific functions
than does loose connective tissue.
SUPPORTIVE CONNECTIVE TISSUE - Cartilage and bone are the two the blood red. Hemoglobin is composed of four units; each unit is composed of
main supportive connective tissue that provides structure, shape, protection, the protein globin and a complex iron-containing structure called heme.
and leverage for movement.
WHITE BLOOD CELLS - White blood cells fight infection, primarily in two
CARTILAGE - In cartilage, cells lie in small chambers called Lacunae, ways. Some white blood cells are phagocytic and engulf infectious pathogens,
separated from the matrix that is solid yet flexible. There are three types of while other white blood cells either produce antibodies, molecules that com-
cartilage: bine with foreign substances to inactivate them, or they kill cells outright.
 Hyaline Cortilage
 Elastic Cortilage PLATELETS – These are not complete cells; rather, they are fragments of
 Fibrocartilage large cells present only in bone marrow.

HYALINE TISSUE - It is the most common type of cartilage that contains LYMPH - It is a fluid connective tissue located in lymphatic vessels.
only very fine collagen fibers.

ELASTIC CARTILAGE - It is more flexible than the Hyaline Cartilage and NERVOUS TISSUE
is found in the framework of the outer ear.

FIBROCARTILAGE - It has a matrix containing strong collagen fibers.

BONE - Of all connective tissues, BONE is the most rigid. It consists of an

extremely hard matrix of inorganic salts, notably calcium salts, deposited
around protein fibers, especially collagen fibers.

COMPACT BONE - It makes up the shaft of a long bone and consists of

cylindrical structural units called osteons.

SPONGY BONE - It contains numerous bony bars and plates, separated by

irregular spaces.

FLUID CONNECTIVE TISSUE

BLOOD - It consists of formed elements and plasma, and it is a fluid

connective tissue located in the blood vessels.

RED BLOOD CELLS - The red blood cells are small, disk-shaped cells
without nuclei. The absence of a nucleus makes the cells biconcave. The
presence of the red pigment hemoglobin makes them red, and in turn, makes