Connective tissue

varieties

1. Connective tissue proper:

a) loose
b) dense: - irregular
- regular
- elastic
2. Connective tissues with special functions:
a) reticular: - myeloid
- lymphoid
b) adipose: - white
- brown
c) mucos
d) blood
3. skeletal conjunctive tissues: - cartillage
- bone

Dense irregular connective tissue

Predominance

of collagen fibers in
bundles disposed in all directions
Rare reticular and elastic fibers
Small amounts of ground substance
Cells : fibroblasts, fibrocytes, plasma
cells, macrophages, mast cells,
leukocytes

Dense Irregular Connective

Tissue
Location:

capsules of the parenchimatose organs,

dermis
submucosa of the digestive tract
periosteum, perichondrium
dura mater
epinerve, epitenonium, epimisium

Dense irregular connective tissue - dermis

HE

Dense irregular connective tissue

Tesut conjunctiv dens semiordonat

HE ob. 40X

Dense regular connective tissue Aponeurosis

assures insertion of flat muscles on bone
inextensible structure made of 2 or more
overlapped connective layers
predominance of collagen fibers parallel in
the same layer and perpendicular to the
ones in the layers above and beneath
textile aspect
small amounts of ground substance
cells : fibroblasts, fibrocytes

Aponeurosis - HE

Dense regular connective tissue

Tendon (I)

Inextensible structure, assuring insertion of

long muscles on bone

Longitudinal section :
Parallel bundles of collagen and elastic fibers
Ground substance and cells among the
fibers
tenocytes cells with wing-like processes
disposed in twin pairs

Tendon longitudinal section - HE ob. 20X, 40X

Dense regular connective tissue

Tendon (II)

Transvers section:
primary tendon oval or round shape
wing-like processes ensheath the
collagen fibers greater resistance
primary tendon endotenonium
secondary tendon peritenonium
entire tendon epitenonium

Primary tendon
Collagen fibers

Collagen fibe

Tendon transverse section HE, 40X

Elastic Tissue

Location: yellow ligaments of the spinal

cord and in the suspensory ligaments of
the penis

Predominance of elastic fibers, in a

parallel array

Fibroblasts

Reticular tissue

Location: framework (stroma) of the

myeloid (bone marrow) and lymphoid

tissue (lymph nodes, spleen)
duble meshwork:
reticular cells with thin processes
a fine network of branched reticular fibers
Ground substance

Limph node silver impregnation + HE

Reticular tissue
Reticular

cells:

mesenchymal

origin
acidophilic cytoplam with long processes
round, euchromatic nucleus
gap junctions between neighbor
processes

White (unilocular) adipose tissue

Location subcutaneous adipose tissue

Predominance of cells white adipocytes

Small amounts of ground substance and fibers,
mainly reticular
White adipocyte :

mesenchymal origin
100-120 m
signet ring aspect
peripheric cytoplasm and nucleus
single lipid droplet
acidophilic cytoplasm
elongated, heterochromatic nucleus

White adipose tissue

HE, 40 X

Adipose tissue, Sudan III, ob 40 X

Brown (multilocular) adipose tissue

Location: retrosternal, inghinal region, cervical,

subscapulary, profound mediastinum
Thermogenesis
Predominance of cells brown adipocytes
Small amounts of ground substance and fibers,
mainly reticular
connective tissue lobules, better delineated
than in unilocular adipose tissue
brown adipocyte :
poligonal cell, 45-60 m
central nucleus
Numerous lipid droplets of different sizes

Brown adipose tissue - azan

Mucous tissue

Location: the principal component of the

umbilical cord Whartons jelly; in the pulp of
young teeth
Abundance of amorphous ground substance
Jelly-like tissue
Very few fibers, mainly reticular
Mesenchymal cells, fibroblasts

Mesenchymal cell
Undifferentiated cell in embrionary
connective tissue, capable of differentiating
in all types of cells found in adult
connective tissue
Star-like, irregular shape, with branched
cell processes
Basophilic cytoplasm
Oval nuclei with dispersed chromatin and
evident nucleolus