1. Adipose Tissue (Loose Connective Tissue)
Warm-Up
What type of connective tissue is shown below? 1. 2.
Adipose Tissue (Loose Connective Tissue)
Cartilage 3. 4.
Bone
Blood

2. Tissue: The Living Fabric
Chapter 4
Tissue: The Living Fabric

3. Part II: Connective Tissue

4. Connective Tissue Most abundant and widely distributed tissue
Main classes:
Connective tissue proper (loose & dense)
Cartilage
Bone
Blood
Functions:
Binding and support
Protection
Insulation
Transport substances

5. Connective Tissue General Features
Not very cellular compared to the other types of tissue
Does not occur on body surfaces
Has a nerve supply, except cartilage
Variations in blood supply
Avascular (no blood) – cartilage
Poorly vascular – tendons, ligaments

6. Two basic elements: cells and an extracellular matrix Cells
-blasts : form the extracellular matrix
-cytes : maintain the extracellular matrix
-clasts : break down the extracellular matrix

7. Extracellular matrix Produced by cells, secreted to exterior
Ground substance: “glue” - fills space between cells & fibers
water + adhesion proteins + polysaccharides
Fibers: provide support
Collagen - strength
Elastic – stretch
Reticular – fine network, “skeleton” of organs

8. Loose Connective Tissue
Universal packing material
Subclasses: areolar, adipose, reticular
Structure: softer, fewer fibers, gel-like matrix
Functions:
Cushion & protect organs (areolar, fat)
Store nutrients (fat)
Internal framework (reticular)
Fight infection (areolar)
Cells: fibroblasts, adipocytes (fat cells)
Locations: under skin, lymph nodes, hips, behind eyeballs

12. Dense Connective Tissue
Tendons & ligaments
Subclasses: dense regular, dense irregular, elastic
Structure: mainly collagen fibers
Functions:
Elastic
Resist tension
Cells: fibroblasts
Locations: tendons (muscle-bone), ligaments (bone-bone), lower layers of skin, aorta (elastic)

14. Dense Irregular Connective Tissue

15. Elastic Connective Tissue in the Aorta

16. Cartilage Subclasses: hyaline, elastic, fibrocartilage
Structure: flexible, no nerves or blood
Functions:
Support
Compression
Matrix: Lacuna – little spaces that house the cells; ground substance is flexible
Cells: chondroblasts, chondrocytes
Locations: larynx, joints, tip of nose, ear, intervertebral discs, rib-breastbone, knee joint

18. Bone Osseous tissue Subclasses: compact, spongy
Structure: hard, calcified matrix; blood vessels
Functions:
support & protect
Store calcium
Blood cell formation (red marrow)
Lipid (fat) storage (yellow marrow)

19. Bone
Matrix: Lacuna and Canaliculi – little canals that connect the Central Canal to lacuna to transport nutrients, oxygen etc. to cells.
Cells: osteoblasts, osteocytes
Locations: bones (skeleton)

21. Blood
Vascular tissue
Structure: fluid within blood vessels, fibers only present during clotting
Functions:
Transport vehicle (nutrients, wastes, gases, hormones)
Cells: white blood cells (leukocytes), red blood cells (erythrocytes), platelets
Locations: blood vessels