CONNECTIVE TISSUE

Objectives

• At the end of this lecture, students should be able to describe;

• The components of connective tissue

• The functions of connective tissue

• Histological appearance of connective tissue and its

components
 Connective Tissues

• Responsible for providing

and maintaining form in
the body
Histogenesis
• Mesodermal in origin

• Mesodermal cells migrate from their site of origin, surrounding

and penetrating developing organs
• In addition to being the point of origin of all types of connective
tissue cells, mesenchyme develops into other types of
structures, such as blood cells, endothelial cells and muscle cells
 General Characteristics
• Are made up of fewer cells that are set far apart

• They are supported by abundant intercellular substance

• They also contain connective tissue fibers

• The different contents of intercellular substance, CT cells

and fibers account for the difference in appearance of the
various connective tissues
 General Functions
• Provide a matrix that serves to connect and bind the cells and
organs

• Give mechanical support to the body

• Storage of fat and certain minerals like calcium in the bones

• Exchange of metabolites between blood and tissues

• Significant role in the repair and healing of wounds

• For protection against infection

Composition of Connective Tissues

• Connective tissue cells

• Connective tissue fibers

• Ground substance

• Blood vessels – except in Mucous

CT and in cartilage
• Unlike the other tissues (epithelia , muscle and nerve), which are
formed mainly by cells, the major constituent of connective tissue
is the extracellular matrix

• Extracellular matrices consist of different combinations of protein

fibres (collagen, reticular and elastic) and ground substance

• Cells are the most important components in some connective

tissues, whereas fibres are the most important component in other
connective tissue types
Components of Connective Tissue
Fibres
• Have an elongated structure formed from proteins that
polymerize after secretion from fibroblasts

• Three main types include:- collagen, reticular and elastic fibres

• Collagen and reticular fibres are formed by proteins of collagen

family while elastic fibres are formed by protein elastin

• They are distributed unequally among different types of CTs

• Predominantly composed of collagen, constitute tendons,
aponeuroses, capsules of organs and membranes that envelop
the central nervous system (meninges)

• They also make up the trabeculae and walls inside several

organs, forming the most resistant component of the stroma
or supporting tissue of organs
Collagen fibres

• Is a key element of all CTs

• Most abundant protein in human body, 30% of its dry

weight

• Secreted by fibroblasts and several other cells

• Are inelastic and possess great tensile strength

• About 20 different types of collagen fibres are known, which vary in
the amino acid sequences
• Most common amino acids of collagen are glycine, proline,
hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine
• the six major collagen types :
• Type I: in connective tissue proper, bone, dentin and fibrocartilage
• Type II: in hyaline and elastic cartilages
• Type III: reticular fibres
• Type IV: lamina densa of the basal lamina
• Type V: in the placenta; associated with type I collagen
• Type VII: attaching the basal lamina to the lamina reticularis
• H&E stain
Reticular fibres

• Consist mainly of collagen type III, are extremely thin, with a

diameter between 0.5 and 2 µm, and they form an extensive

network in certain organs

• Because of their affinity for silver salts, these fibres are

called argyrophilic (Gr. argyros, silver, + philein, to love)

• Are particularly abundant in smooth muscle, endoneurium and
the framework of haematopoietic (or haemopoietic) organs (e.g.
spleen, lymph nodes, red bone marrow) and constitute a
network around the cells of parenchymal organs (e.g. liver,
endocrine glands)

• Because reticular fibres have a small diameter and are loosely

packed, they create a flexible network in organs that are
subjected to changes in form or volume, such as the arteries,
spleen, liver, uterus and intestinal muscle layers
.

Elastic fibres
• Are composed of elastin and microfibrils

• Fibres are highly elastic and may be stretched to 150% of their

resting length without breaking

• Elasticity is due to the protein elastin and their stability is due to

the presence of microfibrils

• Elastin is an amorphous material whose main amino acid

components are glycine and proline
• Additionally, elastin is rich in lysine, the amino acid
responsible for the formation of the highly deformable
desmosine residues that impart a high degree of elasticity to
these fibres

• Found in organs subjected to bending and stretching

• Found in walls of large blood vessels especially arteries

• Stain poorly with H&E, stain darkly in orcein

Ground substance
• Is a hydrated, amorphous material that is composed of
• Glycosaminoglycans: long unbranched polymers of
repeating disaccharides
• Proteoglycans: protein cores to which various
glycosaminoglycans are covalently linked
• Adhesive glycoproteins: large macromolecules responsible
for fastening the various components of the extracellular
matrix to one another and to integrins of the cell membrane
 Connective Tissue cells
Fixed or permanent Wandering cells
• Are native to the tissue in • Are immigrant cells usually
which they are found: from blood or bone marrow.
1. fibroblasts Some retain their original
characteristics and may take
2. macrophages up permanent residence
3. fat cells there:
1. mast cells
2. plasma cells
3. pigment cells
4. blood leukocytes
Fibroblasts
• are intrinsic cells of CT

• are fixed (not mobile) cells in the CT

• have branching processes

• are spindle shaped

• are the most common cells of the CT

• Produce and maintain most of the tissue’s extracellular
components

• Synthesize and secret collagen ( most abundant protein of the

body) and elastin, GAGs ,proteoglycans, multi - adhesive proteins

• Fibroblast are grouped into two, depending on their level of

activity
• Fibroblasts - Active cells

• Fibrocytes - Quiescent cells

Fibroblasts
• Active fibroblasts with abundant cytoplasm

• Large, ovoid, euchromatic nucleus with prominent nucleolus

• Much RER and well developed Golgi apparatus

• Are targets of growth factors

• In adults CT they rarely undergo division

• Involved in wound healing i.e. myo-fibroblast have well

contractile function as they contain actin fibres
Fibrocytes
• quiescent and smaller than the active fibroblast

• usually spindle shaped with fewer processes

• less RER and heterochromatic nucleus

Regenerative capacity of CT is observed in damaged organs

due to ischaemia, inflammation or traumatic injury where the
spaces left after injury are filled with dense irregular CT forming
a scar
Adipocytes
• Also known as Fat cells/lipocytes

• Found in CT of many organs

• They are derived from the mesenchyme

• Specialized in storage of lipids as neutral fats and energy

production

• Cushions and insulates the skin and other organs

Macrophages and Mononuclear Phagocyte System

Macrophage

• A typical macrophage measures between 10 - 30μm

• Are present in most CT and referred as histiocytes by pathologists

• Derived from bone marrow precursor cells that divide and produce monocytes

• Monocytes penetrates CT and mature into macrophages

• Have well developed Golgi apparatus and many lysosomes

• Given different names in different organs i.e. Kupffer cells in Liver, Microglial
cells in CNS, Langerhans cells in skin and Osteoclasts in bone tissue
Wandering Connective
Tissue Cells
Mast cells

• Round to oval CT cells whose cytoplasm is filled with basophilic

granules

• The rather small and spherical nucleus is centrally situated and is

frequently obscured by the cytoplasmic granules

• Produce an anticoagulant similar if not identical to heparin

• Produce histamine in allergic response to some foreign proteins

Mast cells

• Also elaborate serotonin, a

vasoconstrictor

• Are only seen along the

course of small blood vessels
Plasma cells

• Spherical cells with rounded or irregular nuclei generally

eccentrically located , whose chromatin materials exhibit a
characteristic “clock-faced” or “cart-wheel” appearance

• Has an important function in resistance to disease and

known as the: principal producer of antibodies
Plasma Cells
Pigment cells

• Resemble the fibroblast but whose cytoplasm contains pigment

granules that never invade the nucleus

• Types:
• Dermal chromatophore – found in the dermis of the skin, retina,
choroid and iris of eyeball
• Epidermal melanocytes, found in common mole and are
responsible for the manufacture of melanin granules
Blood Leukocytes
Lymphocytes

• Smallest, with rounded

nucleus which occupies
most of the cytoplasm

• Concerned with antibody

production
Eosinophils

• Have bilobed nucleus with

spherical, darkly staining
acidophilic granules

• Found abundant in lactating

breasts, respiratory and
alimentary tracts, and in certain
allergic reactions
Neutrophils

• First line of defense, seen in

regions of acute inflammation

• Have a segmented nucleus (3-

5 lobes) having fine granules
which are purple or violet in
color
Monocytes

• Largest, they have a kidney-

shaped nucleus and are
considered as the
phagocytes of the blood
Types of Connective Tissue Proper
• Connective tissue proper is usually classified as loose or dense according to
the amount of collagen and ground substance present

Loose connective tissue (or areolar tissue)

• Has relatively more ground substance than collagen

• It typically surrounds small blood vessels and occupies areas adjacent to other
types of epithelia

Dense irregular connective tissue

• Is filled primarily with randomly distributed bundles of type I collagen, with

some elastic fibres, providing resistance to tearing from all directions as well
as some elasticity
Dense regular connective tissue
• prominent in tendons and ligaments
• features bundles of essentially parallel collagen, providing great strength (but
little stretch) in binding together components of the musculoskeletal system
Reticular tissue
• consists of delicate networks of type III collagen (reticulin)
• most abundant in certain lymphoid organs where the fibres form attachment
sites for lymphocytes and other immune cells
Mucoid tissue
• is an embryonic form of gel-like connective tissue
• with few cells, resembling mesenchyme, and is best seen around
• blood vessels in the umbilical cord.
End…