Connective Tissue

Prepared by: Cherries V. Sanchez, RMT.

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 Connective Tissues
• Responsible for providing structural support for the tissues and
organs of the body

• Important in maintaining the form of the body, organs and tissues

• Derive its name from its function in connecting or binding cells and
tissues

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Functions of Connective Tissue
• Enclosing and separating other tissue
• Connecting tissues to one another
• Supporting and moving parts of the body
• Storing compounds
• Cushioning and Insulating
• Transporting
• Protecting

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Connective Tissues
Composed of:
• Cells
• Extracellular matrix
• Protein fibers (collagen fibers, reticular fibers, elastic fibers)
• Amorphous ground substance
• Hyaluronic acid
• Proteoglycans
• Adhesive molecules
• Tissue fluid

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Extracellular matrix
Protein fibers
Ground substances

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1. Protein Fibers of the Matrix

Three types of protein fibers

a) Collagen fibers
b) Reticular fibers
c) Elastic fibers

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A. Collagen fibers
• Most abundant protein in the body (up
to 30% dry weight)
The main amino acids of collagen are:
• glycine (33.5%)
• proline (12%)
• hydroxyproline (10%)

Types:
• Type I
• Type II
• Type III
• Type IV
• Type V
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 Collagen Type Tissue Distribution

• Type 1 Most abundant (dermis, bone, tendon, organ

capsule)

• Type 2 Hyaline and Elastic cartilages

• Type 3 Assoc. with Type 1, collagenous component of

reticular fiber

• Type 4 Basal lamina or basement membrane

• Type 5 Fetal membrane, and in small amount in other

tissue

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B. Reticular fibers
• Very thin (diameters between 0.5 -
2µ m)
• Stained black after impregnation
with silver salts à argyrophilia

• Form fine-meshed net around cells

and cell groups

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 C. Elastic fibers
• Consist of elastin
• Ability to return to its original shape after being stretched or
compressed à elastic quality

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2. Amorphous Ground Substance
• Transparent material filling space which is produced by connective
tissue cells
• Hyaluronic acid
• Proteoglycans
• GAG àchondroitin-4-sulfate, chondroitin-6-sulfate, keratan sulfate, heparan sulfate
• Protein core
• Adhesive molecules
• Hold proteoglycan aggregates together
• named with the suffix -nectin
• Chondronectin
• Osteonectin
• Fibronectin
• Interstitial fluid
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 Connective tissue cells
•Fixed cells- more or less permanent resident population
•ex: fibroblast, mesenchymal, reticular, fat

•Wandering- which are transient emigrants from the blood stream

•ex: WBC, mast cells, plasma cell

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The name of the cell identifies the cell functions
by means of one of the following suffixes:

•Blasts àCreate the matrix

•Cytes à Maintain it
•Clasts à Break it down for remodeling

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Cells of Connective Tissue
• Undifferentiated mesenchymal cells
• RBC
• WBC
• Adipocytes
• Mast cells
• Macrophages
• Platelets
• Others

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Others:
• Fibroblasts
• Fibrocytes
• Chondroblasts
• Chondrocytes
• Osteoblasts
• Osteocytes
• Osteoclasts

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Mesenchymal Cells
• Small, flattened or stellate
shaped

• AKA Multipotential or
Pluripotential Cells

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Fibroblast
•Principal cells of connective tissue
•Responsible for the synthesis of fibers and ground matrix
•Derived from mesenchymal cells
a. Young Fibroblast
b. Fibrocyte

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 Classification of Connective
Tissue

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 2 Major Categories of Connective Tissue
Embryonic Connective Tissue Adult Connective Tissue
• Mesenchyme • Connective Tissue Proper
• Mucous connective tissue • Loose
• Dense
• Supporting Connective Tissue
• Cartilage
• Bone
• Fluid Connective Tissue
• Blood

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Embryonic Connective Tissue
Mesenchyme
Mucous connective tissue

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Mesenchyme
• Forms during 3rd and 4th week of development

• Become specialized to form the types of connective tissue seen in

adults

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Mucous Connective Tissue
• Wharton’s jelly
• Found in the umbilical cord
• Loose connective tissue composed of fibroblasts with several long
cytoplasmic processes

• The intercellular space is filled with a jelly-like amorphous ground

substance, rich in hyaluronic acid and fibers.

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Adult connective tissue
• Connective Tissue Proper
• Supporting Connective Tissue
Specialized connective tissue
• Fluid Connective Tissue

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 Connective Tissue Proper
Loose
Dense

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Classification Of Connective Tissue
• Loose Connective Tissue
• Areolar
• Adipose
• Reticular
• Dense Connective Tissue
a. Dense irregular connective tissue
b. Dense regular connective tissue
e. g. tendons, ligaments

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Loose Connective Tissue
• Consists of relatively few protein
fibers that form a lacy network, with
numerous spaces filled with
ground substance and fluid

• Three subdivisions:
I. Areolar
II. Adipose
III. Reticular

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I. Areolar tissue
• Loose packing material of most organs and tissues
• Attaches skin to underlying tissues
• Contains collagen, reticular, elastic fiber and variety of cells

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II. Adipose Tissue
• Consists of adipocytes
Types
• YELLOW (White)
• Most abundant
• White at birth and yellows with age
• BROWN
• Found only in specific areas of body as
axillae, neck and near kidneys

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III. Reticular Tissue
• Form framework of lymphatic
tissue
• Characterized by network
fibers and cells

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Dense Connective Tissue
• Large number of protein fibers
• Mostly are spindle-shaped fibroblasts
• Fibroblasts surrounded by matrix à fibrocytes

• Subdivided into two major groups:

• Regular
• Irregular
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Dense Connective Tissue
Dense REGULAR connective tissue
• Protein fibers oriented predominantly in one direction

1. Dense regular collagenous

• Abundant collagen fibers à white appearance
• Tendons and ligaments

2. Dense regular elastic

• Abundant elastic fibers

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Dense Connective Tissue
Dense IRREGULAR connective tissue
• Protein fibers arranged as a meshwork of randomly
oriented fibers

1. Dense irregular collagenous

2. Dense irregular elastic

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