Tissues of body

Chapter # 3
INTRODUCTION
Histology - study of the microscopic anatomy of
cells and tissues of plants and animals

Commonly performed by:

examining cells and tissues by sectioning and staining,
followed by examination under a light
microscope or electron microscope

Tissues - cells group together with one another based

on similar structure and function to form tissues
CLASSIFICATION OF TISSUES
Human body is composed of four basic types of
tissues;

1. Epithelium- lines and covers surfaces

2. Connective tissue- protect, support, and bind
together
3. Muscular tissue- produces movement
4. Nervous tissue- receive stimuli and conduct impulses
1. Epithelium
Forms coverings of surfaces of body

Functions:
protection, adsorption, excretion, secretion, filtration and
sensory reception

Characteristics:
Polarity - Epithelium is arranged so there is one free surface
(apical surface) and one attached surface (basal surface)
Cellular nature - Cells in epithelium fit closely together side
by side and sometimes atop each other to form sheets of cells
Supported by connective tissue - Attachment to a layer of
connective tissue at basal surface forms a layer called
basement membrane
Avascular - Epithelium typically lacks its own blood
supply
Regeneration - Epithelium cells can regenerate if proper
nourished

Classification:
Based on shape & arrangement of cells
Arrangements:
Simple - Cells are found in single layer attached to
basement membrane
Stratified - Cells are found in 2 or more layers stacked
atop each other
Pseudostratified - single layer of cells that appears to
be multiple layers due to variance in height and
location of nuclei in cells
Transitional - cells are rounded and can slide across
one another to allow stretching

Shapes:
Squamous - flat, thin, scale-like cells
Cuboidal - cells that have basic cube shape
Columnar - tall, rectangular or column shaped cells
Special Features of Epithelium:
Cilia - hair-like appendages attached to apical surface
of cells that act as sensory structures or to produce
movement
Goblet cells - specialized cells that produce mucus to
lubricate and protect surface of an organ
Villi - finger-like projections that arise from epithelial
layer in some organs
Microvilli - smaller projections that arise from cell's
surface (brush border of organ)
2. Connective Tissue:
Most abundant and widely distributed tissue
Have 3 components;
cells, fibers and extracellular matrices
all immersed in body fluids
Functions
Protect, support and bind together parts of body

Characteristics
Very vascular (have a rich blood supply);
some exceptions, such as tendons, ligaments and
cartilages, are less vascularized
Made up of many types of specialized cells
Contain large amount of non-living material referred to
as matrix (composed of ground substance and fibers)

Types
Four types of connective tissues
1. Connective tissue proper
 Loose Connective Tissue: Areolar, Adipose, Reticular
 Dense Connective Tissue: Dense regular, Dense
irregular, Elastic (forms tendons, ligaments)
2. Cartilage: Hyaline, Elastic, Fibrocartilage
3. Bone (osteoblasts + minerals)
4. Blood
3. Muscle tissue
Soft tissue that composes muscles
Muscle cells are elongated

Types
Striated muscle
Skeletal muscle
Cardiac muscle
Smooth muscle
Striated muscle
Skeletal muscle (voluntary muscle)
Anchored by tendons to bone and is used to effect skeletal
movement such as locomotion and in maintaining posture
Made up of myocytes (myofibers - composed
of myofibrils)

Myofibrils - composed of actin and myosin filaments

repeated in units called sarcomere (basic functional unit of
muscle fiber)

Sarcomere is responsible for skeletal muscle's striated

appearance
 forms basic machinery necessary for muscle contraction
Cardiac muscle (involuntary muscle)
Myocardium
Found only in heart
Structure similar to skeletal muscle
But they contain intercalated discs

Cells that constitute cardiac muscle called

cardiomyocytes or myocardiocytes
Coordinated contractions of cardiac muscle cells
propel blood out of atria & ventricles to blood vessels
Smooth muscle (involuntary muscle)
Non-striated muscle
Found within walls of organs and structures;
such as esophagus, stomach, intestines, bronchi,
uterus, urethra, bladder, blood vessels etc
Divided into two sub-groups; single-unit & multiunit

Single-unit smooth muscle

In this ANS innervates single cell within sheet
Action potential is propagated by gap junctions to
neighboring cells
such that whole sheet contracts as syncytium 
Multiunit smooth muscle
ANS innervate individual cells
Allow for fine control and gradual responses

Structure and function is basically same in smooth

muscle cells in different organs,
But inducing stimuli differ substantially, in order to
perform individual effects in body at individual times
Nervous tissue
Main component of nervous system; brain, spinal cord,
peripheral nerves
Regulates and controls bodily functions and activity
Composed of:
Neurons, which receive and transmit impulses, and
Neuroglia, which assist propagation of nerve
impulse as well as providing nutrients to neuron
Functions
sensory input, integration, control of muscles &
glands, homeostasis & mental activity