Connective Tissue Proper: The most diverse group.
│ Full of tight bundles of collagen fibers all
− Loose.
│ Have fewer fibers, more cells and more
ground substance.
│ Elastic fibers helps it go back into shape,
collagen helps anchor it so it won't snap.
│ Areolar.
│ Most common.
│ Found all over your body.
│ Under epithelial tissues, wrapped around
organs.
│ Great at holding watery, salty ground
substance that surrounding tissues draw
from.
│ Adipose.
│ A.k.a. fat tissue.
│ Rather than being mostly ground
substance, it is mostly
cells-adipocytes-which store lipids for later
use, insulate the body against heat loss.
│ Reticular.
│ Provides the soft internal framework, or
stroma, of the spleen, lymph nodes, and
bone marrow.
│ Supports lots of developing blood cells.
│ Holds the blood in place in many organs.
− Dense.
│ Regular.
running parallel.
│ These flexible fibers provide great
resistance to tension when that tension is
exerted in one direction. Usually found on
tendons and ligaments.
│ Irregular.
│ Envelopes muscles (muscle fascia).
│ Found in places that exert tension in a lot of
direction. E.g. dermis under our skin.
│ Impact resistant.
│ Elastic.
│ Contains elastin fibers in addition to
collagen fibers.
│ Allows ligaments to return to its original
length after stretching.
Cartilage: Doesn't have any blood or nerves. Stands up
against both tension and compression.
│ Hyaline.
│ Glassy looking, provides pliable support.
│ Connects ribs to sternum.
│ Also found in the nose.
│ Ground substance is rich in starchy
proteoglycans.
│ Elastic.
│ Found in places where strength and
stretchability is needed. E.g. ears.
│ Fibrocartilage.
 │ Dominated by thick fibers of collagen, ‣ Mostly made up of reticular fibres
making it good for withstanding lots of ‣ Find in lymph node bone marrow, and supports
pressure developing blood cells
│ Makes up the discs between your vertebrae ‣ Hold blood in place
and your knee joints. ◦ Adipose (fat tissue)
│ Keeps the bones from grinding together. ‣ Mostly cells
‣ Store lipids, insulate the body against heat loss
Bone: Calcified connective tissue. • Dense (e.g. tendon, ligament) a lot of collagen, great
│ Spongy. resistance to tension
│ Strong and porous. ◦ Regular
│ Makes and stores the bone marrow. ◦ Irregular
│ Compact. ‣ Thicker fibers
│ Dense, no visible spaces. ‣ collagen fibres arranged irregularly
│ Forms the external layer of the bones. ‣ Fibroblasts
│ Stores calcium for bone cells to use to ‣ Found in places that exert tension in a lot of direction
make more tissue. ‣ E.g. dermis under our skin
◦ Elastic
Blood: Ground substance is plasma, which has protein ‣ Find in Joint
fibers floating around it. Delivers and transports ‣ made of elastic fibres
materials. ‣ E.g. connecting vertebrae, some largest artery wall
‣ Provides support and flexibility
Types of connective tissue
Proper connective tissue (most diverse) Cartilage connective tissue (White)
• Loose (e.g. skin) a lot of ground substances, fewer • Hyaline (the most common type)
fibres, more cells and elastic fibre helps go back into ◦ Chondrocytes and lacunae
shape, collagen helps anchor (stable) it (won't snap) ◦ Glassy and transparent
◦ Areolar (the most common) ◦ Ground substance, proteoglycans, collagen fibres(just
‣ Find under epithelial tissue and around organs a little bit)
‣ Random arrangement of fibres, a few fibroblast cells ◦ Provide pliable support
‣ Holds at water ◦ E.g. the connection between sternum and ribs
◦ Reticular ◦ E.g. Nose Bridge
• Elastic
 ◦ Chondrocytes, elastic fibers
◦ Provide strength and stretchability
• Fibro
◦ Chondrocyte, thick fibres of collagen
◦ Shockes absorber, standing pressure
◦ E.g. Disc between your vertebrae, knee joint

Bone connective tissue (osseous tissue)

• Spongy
◦ Strong, porous
◦ Internal layers of bone
◦ Uses porous to make and store bone marrow
◦ E.g. flat bones like sternum
• Compact
◦ External layers of your bones
◦ Store calcium

Blood Connective tissue (no fibre, but a lot of protein)

• Plasma
◦ Ground substance and protein fibres
• Erythrocytes (red blood cells)
• Leukocytes (White blood cells)
• Platelets

Connective tissue has three main components: cells,
fibers, and ground substance.
The ground substance is made of an organic substance
(usually a protein) and an inorganic substance (usually a
mineral or water).
Together the ground substance and fibers make up the
extracellular matrix.
Two types of CT Proper:
-Loose.
Most common. Found all over the body. What envelopes
our internal organs. "packing material". Consists of
fibroblasts, or cells that synthesize tiissue fibers, ground
substance,
and works wandering macrophages that destroy
pathogens and repairs damaged cells.
-Dense.
As the name suggests, it is characterized by densly
packed fibers and little matrix.
Forms tendons, ligaments, and fasciae.
The fibers of connective tissues are much made up of
collagen (provides flexibility and resistance to stretching).
Also, it is the most abundant protein in the animal
kingdom.
Other types of tissues include:
Fluid Conncetive Tissues
-Blood. plasma is the the ground substance, little fiber,
erythrocytes (rbcs) and leukocytes (wbcs) are the cells
-Lymph. plasma, wbc. (collectively called vascular tissue)
Vascular tissue is composed of distinctive cells in a fluid
ground substance, the plasma. Vascular tissue lacks
fibers under normal conditions.
-Adipose.
Rather than being mostly ground substance, it is mostly
cells-adipocytes-which store lipids for later use, insulate
the body against heat loss.
-Cartilage
Semi-rigid tissue of firm matrix cells (chondrocytes) with
collagen and elastin.
Lacks blood supply so nutrients and wastes have to
diffuse through the ground substance such that it heals
very slowly after damage
-Bone.Calcified connective tissue.
│Spongy.
│ Strong and porous.
│ Makes and stores the bone marrow.
│Compact.
│ Dense, no visible spaces.
│ Forms the external layer of the bones.
│ Stores calcium for bone cells to use to make more
tissue.
These vascular tissues lack fibers under normal
conditions, they are