NAME: Marie Nicole Dicdican SECTION: BSPSY – 3A HISTOLOGY 101

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

1. Differentiate thick skin from thin skin

TYPES OF SKIN THICK SKIN THIN SKIN

Found on the
Covers most of the body,
palms and
LOCATION except on the soles of the feet
soles
and palms of the hands

400 to 1400
THICKNESS µm (1.4 mm) 75 to 150 µm

EPIDERMIS

Thick stratum
S. corneum corneum layer Thin stratum corneum layer

S. lucidum Stratum Absent. No stratum lucidum

lucidum layer layer
in the
epidermis

4–5 cells thick Single layer of cells

S. granulosum

S. basale Present Present

Present on
Dermatoglyphic thick skin Absent on thin skin

DERMIS

Hair follicles No hair follicles Contains hair follicles

 Sebaceous glands No sebaceous Contains sebaceous glands
glands

Contains
eccrine sweat Contains eccrine sweat
Eccrine sweat glands
glands glands

Present on
Meissner’s corpuscles thick skin Absent on thin skin

Elastic fibers Present Present

Arrector pili muscle Absent Present

2. Differentiate epidermis from dermis

Epidermis Dermis

of The outer layer of cells, found Thick layer of living cells, found
Location outermost layer of the body below the epidermis
layer

Number of Five layers: Two layers:

layers
 Stratum basale  Papillary dermis
 Stratum spinosum  Reticular dermis
 Stratum granulosum
 Stratum lucidum
 Stratum corneum

Origin Originates from the ectoderm Originates from the mesoderm

 Composition Made up of stratified layers of
flattened epithelial cells.
Contains melanocytes,
keratinocytes, Langerhans
cells, and merkels cells
Made up of dense irregular
connective tissue. Contains
fibroblasts, adipocytes, and
macrophages

Blood Vessels Present

No blood vessels in the
epidermis

Nerves
Present. Transmit heat, pain, Present. Sense pain, touch,
and other noxious sensations. pressure, and temperature

3. Describe the layers of the epidermis & dermis

A. Epidermis (5) layers
• S. Corneum – consists of 15-20 layers of squamous, keratinized cells filled with
birefringent filamentous keratins. Keratin filaments contain at least six different
polypeptides with molecular masses ranging from 40 to 70 kDa, synthesized during
cell differentiation in the immature layers.

• S. Lucidum- consist of a thin, translucent layer of flattened eosinophilic

keratinocytes held together by desmosomes.

• S. Granulosum – consists of three to five layers of flattened cells, contains diamond

shaped cells with keratohyalin granules and lamellar granules. Keratohyaline
granules contain keratin precursors that eventually aggregate, crosslink, and form
bundles.

• S. Spinosum - 8-10 cell layers, consists of generally polyhedral cells having central
nuclei with nucleoli and cytoplasm actively synthesizing keratins.

• S. Basale – single layer of basophilic cuboidal or columnar cells on the basement

membrane at the dermal-epidermal junction.
 B. Dermis
a.) Papillary layer – consists of loose connective tissue, with types I and III collagen
fibers, fibroblasts, and scattered mast cells, dendritic cells, and leukocytes.

b.) Reticular Layer – much thicker, consists of dense irregular connective tissue mainly
bundles of type I collagen, with more fibers and fewer cells.

4. Describe the cells of the epidermis as to structure, location & function

Cells Structure Location Function

Keratinocytes Arranged in four They originate Responsible

different layers: in the deepest for protecting from
the stratum basale, layer of the microbial invasion,
stratum spinosum, epidermis shielding UV
stratum granulosum, exposure, and
and stratum corneum. maintaining adequate
skin hydration by
secreting keratin.

Nonkeratinocytes Play a major role

The basal in protecting the skin
a. Melanocytes Are branched, or layer of from ultraviolet
dendritic epidermis radiation through the
production
of melanosomes that are
transferred to
keratinocytes to protect
their nuclei.
 b. Langerhan’s Dendritic bone marrow Located in the Participate in immune
cells derived cells epidermis responses mounted
against microbes that
invade the skin.

c. Merkel’s cells Oval-shaped Located in Important for proper

the basal neural encoding of light
epidermal touch stimuli.
layer of the
skin.

5.. Differentiate holocrine, eccrine sweat gland and apocrine sweat gland.

Holocrine glands are a type of exocrine glands. A gland releasing a secretion consisting
of disintegrated cells and their secretory products into the lumen. They release secretions
consisting of secretory products as well as disintegrating cells. Eccrine sweat gland on
the other hand, occurs over most of the body and open directly onto the skin's surface.
While apocrine glands open into the hair follicle, leading to the surface of the skin.