Histology Connective tissue

Dr. Adnan Iqbal

407 Physiology Lab
Connective tissue (CT)
• Connective tissue (CT) is a one of
the four main classes of tissues.

• It is the most abundant and

widely distributed.

• Like to the timber framing of a

house, the connective tissue
provides structure and support
throughout the body.
 Structure of Connective Tissue

• Connective tissue has three main components:

1. Ground substance
2. Fibers
3. Cells

• Together the ground substance and fibers make up

the extracellular matrix.

• The composition of these three elements vary

tremendously from one organ to the other. This
offers great diversity in the types of connective
tissue.
Ground substance and Fibers
• Ground substance is a clear, colorless, viscous fluid that fills the space between the cells and
fibers.
• It is composed of glycosaminoglycan, proteoglycans and glycoproteins that allow the connective
tissue to act as glue for the cells to attach to the matrix.

• Three types of fibers are found in connective tissue:

• Collagen
• Elastic fibers
• Reticular fibers
 Types of Connective Tissue
• Connective tissue is divided into four main categories:
• Connective proper – Fibroblast
• Cartilage – Chondroblast
• Bone - Osteoblast
• Blood - Atypical Connective tissue