HAPP LABORATORY

MODULE 5
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

BRIEF OVERVIEW:

Integumentary system is not only composed of the skin. Remember that there are
accessories of the skin the nail, hair and so one and so forth.

But since the skin is the most predominant structure that is found in your integumentary
system, we are going to be focusing on this.

There are two main parts of the skin, which is your epidermis and dermis. Remember that
your skin is the largest and heaviest organ of the body.

EPIDERMIS DERMIS
• Composed of five layers (5) • Divided into two layers (2)
o Stratum corneum o Reticular layer
o Stratum lucidum o Papillary layer
o Stratum granulosum
o Stratum spinosum
o Stratum basale

We’re going to be focusing on your sensory receptors for your laboratory:

SENSORY RECEPTOR
• Nerve terminal that would conduct touch, temperature, pain, and other stimuli to
your brain.

ANGELES, ANGEL JANELLE M. | BS MEDTECH 2

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• Remember that your sensory receptors are able to function by assisting locomotion
and manipulation of your body.

MULTIPLE TYPES OF SENSORY RECEPTOR

MECHNORECEPTORS • Pacinian corpuscles
• Meissner’s corpuscles
• Ruffini’s corpuscles
• Free nerve endings
• Merkel’s disc
• End-bulbs of Krause

THERMORECEPTORS
NOCICEPTORS
CHEMORECEPTORS

ANGELES, ANGEL JANELLE M. | BS MEDTECH 2

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MODULE 5
DIFFERENCE AND FUNCTIONS:
MECHANORECEPTORS

Pacinian Corpuscles • Onion-like in nature (onion shape)

• Its is located in your deep skin known as
your “deep dermis”
• Can also be seen in your:
o Cutaneous tissues or hypodermis
tissue together with your joint
capsules.
• Responsible for deep pressure and high
frequency vibrations
o Which means if you press your skin
too hard, your Pacinian corpuscles
that would send signal to your
brain, noting that there is a large
pressure in that area of your skin
which would lead you to move
your arms.

Meissner’s Corpuscles • Meissner’s corpuscles are stacks of

flattened discs in the dermis just below
your epidermis.
• It is found in the dermal papillae or just
beneath the dermal papillae.
• Responsible for light touch and pressure
and also midfrequency vibrations.

ANGELES, ANGEL JANELLE M. | BS MEDTECH 2

 HAPP LABORATORY
MODULE 5
o This is the reason why even though
you’re not yet touch, when you
touch the tip of the hair in your arm
you will feel it. This is because of
your Meissner’s corpuscles.

Ruffini’s Corpuscles • Also known as “Ruffini cylinder”

• Remember that there are branch fibers
o There are branch fibers inside a
cylindrical capsule.
• Located in:
o deep in the dermis or in your
reticular layer
o in your joint capsules.
• They are the one that detect stretching.
o Once your skin is stretched, it is your
Ruffini cylinder that sends signals to
your brain.

Free nerve ending • Scattered all over the skin.

• It is primarily located in
o Dermis
o Cornea
o Tongue
o Joint capsules

• Responsible for pain, temperature, light

touch and mechanical deformation.
o Because there is many free nerve
endings, it is scattered all over
epidermis and dermis.

ANGELES, ANGEL JANELLE M. | BS MEDTECH 2

 HAPP LABORATORY
MODULE 5

Merkel’s Disk • Works with Merkel’s receptor

• Disk-shape receptor located near the
border between epidermis and dermis.
• Located in:
o Epidermal-dermal junction
o Mucosal membrane
o Fingertips
o Lips

• It senses low-frequency vibrations,

including your light touch.
• Merkel’s disk work with Meissner’s
corpuscles

End-bulb of krause • Located in:

o Conjunctive of the eye
o Mucous membrane of lips and
tongue
o Epineurium of nerve trunks
→Very sensitive area of the face.

• It is the one that detects the changes in

temperature whether it is cold and warm.

ANGELES, ANGEL JANELLE M. | BS MEDTECH 2

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MODULE 5
NOTE:
✓ Free nerve endings are scattered all over epidermis and dermis. Not usually seen
in microscopic viewings.

THERMORECEPTORS • Detects changes in temperature.

NOCICEPTORS • Detects signals from damages of tissues.
CHEMORECEPTORS • Detect changes in
o Carbon dioxide (CO2)
o Oxygen (O2)
o pH

✓ All of the mechanoreceptor, thermoreceptor, nociceptor and chemoreceptor are

found in epidermis and dermis or skin.
✓ Some of them would bleed or bleed into your hypodermis.

ANGELES, ANGEL JANELLE M. | BS MEDTECH 2