CONNECTIVE TISSUE

Florentino, Hazel M.
 CONNECTIVE TISSUE
• Maintain form of organs throughout the
body
• Provide matrix that supports
• Physically connects tissues and cells
together in organs
INTERSTITIAL FLUID :
• Give metabolic support to cells as the
medium for diffusion of nutrients and
waste products.
EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX (ECM)
• Major constituent of connective tissue
• Consist of different combinations of protein
fibers (collagens and elastic fibers) and
ground substance

GROUND SUBSTANCE:
• Complex of anionic, hydrophilic
proteogycans, glycosaminoglycans
(GAGs), and multiadhesive glycoproteins
(laminin, fibronectin and others)
 GLYCOPROTEINS
• Stabilize the ECM by binding to other matrix
component to integrins in cell membranes

GROUND SUBSTANCE:
• Provides medium for exchange of
nutrients and metabolic wastes cells and
blood supply
• Cells, fibers, and ground substance are
responsible for structural, functional and
pathologic diversity of connective tissue
 CONNECTIVE TISSUE
• Originate from embryonic mesenchyme
• A tissue developing from middle layer of
embryo--- mesoderm.
MESENCHYME:
• Largely of viscous ground substance with few
collagen fibers
MESENCHYMAL CELLS:
• Undifferentiated and have large nuclei,
prominent nucleoli and fine chromatin
• Often said “spindle-shaped”
 MESODERMAL CELLS
• Migrate from their site of origin in embryo
• Surrounding and penetrating developing
organs
EMBRYONIC MESENCHYME:
• Includes stem cells such as blood, vascular
endothelium and muscle
MESENCHYME:
• Some mesenchyme are multipotent stem
cells, useful in regenerative medicine after
grafting to replace damaged tissue in certain
patients
 MESENCHYME-LIKE CELLS
• Remain present in some adult, includes of
tooth pulp and some adipose tissue, can be
possible sources of stem cells for therapeutic
repair and organ regeneration
FIBROBLASTS:
• Originate locally from mesenchyme cells and
permanent residents of connective tissue
• Cells found here such as macrophages,
plasma cells and mast cells----
• Originate from hematopoietic stem cells in
bone marrow
WHITE BLOOD CELLS (LEUKOCYTES)
• Transient cells of most connective tissue
• Originate in bone marrow. They function for few days
then die by apoptosis
MESENCHYME:
• Population of undifferentiated cells
• Generally elongated but with many shapes
• Having large euchromatic nuclei and prominent
nucleoli that activate high levels of synthetic activity
MESENCHYMAL CELLS
• Surrounded by ECM
• Produced and consists largely of simple ground
substance rich in hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid)
 FIBROBLASTS
• Most common cells
• Produce and maintain extracellular
components
• Synthesize and secrete collagen (most
abundant protein of the body) and elastin
• Form large fibers such as GAGs, proteoglycans
and multiadhesive glycoproteins comprise
ground substance
• Most secreted ECM components undergo
modification outside cell before assembling as
matrix
• Cells with intense synthetic activity are
morphologically distinct from quiescent fibroblasts
“FIBROBLAST”
• Active cell. Active fibroblast has more abundant
and irregularly branched cytoplasm.
• Nucleus is large, ovoid, euchromatic and prominent
nucleolus. Cytoplasm much rough endoplasmic
reticulum (RER), well-developed Golgi apparatus.
“FIBROCYTE”
• Quiescent cell.--- smaller than the active fibroblast
• Usually spindle-shaped with fewer processes and
much less RER, contains darker, more-
heterochromatic nucleus.
 GROWTH FACTORS
• Fibroblasts targets of many families of proteins
that influence cell growth and differentiation
• In adults, fibroblasts rarely undergo division
• Stimulated by locally released growth factors
cell cycling and mitotic activity resume when
tissue requires additional fibroblasts
• Example: repair a damaged organ
• FIBROBLAST involved wound healing
sometimes called myo-fibroblasts, have well-
developed contractile function enriched with
form of actin found in smooth muscle cells.
 ADIPOCYTES OR FAT CELLS
• Large mesenchymally derived cells
specialized for cytoplasmic storage of
lipid as neutral fats or less commonly
for production of heat
• Large deposits of fat in the cells, serve
to cushion and insulate the skin
• Major metabolic significance with
medical importance
MACROPHAGES & THE MONONUCLEAR
PHAGOCYTE SYSTEM
MACROPHAGES:
• Phagocytic ability and specialize in turnover of protein
fibers and removal of dead cells, tissue debris
• A typical macrophage measures between 10 and 30
diameter, eccentrically located oval or kidney-
shaped nucleus
• Referred by pathologists as “histiocytes”