Connective Tissues

What is connective tissue

Connective tissue
,This is one of the four tissue types found in the body
the term coming from the Latin ‘connectere’ meaning
to bind. Its main function is to connect together and
provide support to the other tissues. Most types of
connective
tissue consist of three elements: the cells, the
fibers and the amorphous ground substance
 … Cont
Connective tissues are divided into the following
:groups {macroscopically}
Connective tissue proper •
Loose: areolar, adipose (brown and white) and ○
.reticular
Dense: regular, e.g. ligaments, tendons and joint ○
.capsules and irregular, e.g. dermis
.Cartilage – hyaline, elastic and fibrocartilage •
.Blood •
Blood-forming – hematopoietic •
Bone – spongy (cancellous) and dense (cortical) •
 :Microscopic Examinations
Its microscopic appearance
also varies from fibrillar to homogeneous
allowing
:its classification into two main groups
Formed or fibrous types • •
.Amorphous or gel types • •
 Formed or fibrous intercellular
substances

The former terms relate to the protein compound

which is predominant in the particular fiber
(collagen fibers, reticular fibers and elastic
fibers)
 Collagen Fibers
These are the most frequently encountered of all the
fibrous types of intercellular substance. They can
occur as individual fibers, e.g. in loose areolar tissues
,where they are arranged in an open weave system
or as large bundles of fibers clumped together
to form structures of great tensile strength, e.g. in
tendon. Individual collagen fibers do not branch and
when viewed by polarized light they are strongly
.birefringent, but lack dichroism
 … Cont
Types of collagen •
There are four major types of collagen (designated I–
.IV), although several minor types are recognized
The production of the different types is under
genetic control, each reflecting slight variations in
the α-chain composition but all displaying the same
.characteristic amino acid content
 … Cont
Staining reactions of collagen •
Type I collagen stains strongly with acid dyes due
to the affinity of the cationic groups of the proteins
for the anionic reactive groups of the dye. Collagen
may be demonstrated more selectively by either
compound solutions of acid dyes, e.g. van Gieson, or
by sequential combinations, e.g. Masson’s trichrome
and Lendrum’s MSB. The different types of collagen
.may be differentiated immunohistochemically
 Reticular fibers
These are the fine delicate fibers which are found
connected to the coarser and stronger collagenous
type I fibers. They provide the bulk of the supporting
,framework of the more cellular organs, e.g. spleen
liver and lymph nodes, where they are arranged in
a three dimensional mesh network providing a system
of individual cell support. On light
microscopic examination, reticular fibers are weakly
birefringent, the weak reaction being attributed to
their lack of physical size and the masking effect of
the interfibrillar substance
 Elastic fibers
They may be found throughout the
,body but are especially associated with the respiratory
circulatory and integumentary systems. Their
appearances under the light microscope may vary
,considerably according to their location from fine
single fibers as in the upper dermis to the membranelike
structures of the internal and external elastic
.laminae in the large arteries