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Chapter-III
GENERAL CONNECTIVE TISSUE
Connective tissue is present to support different elements within an organ. The components
of this tissue are cells, fibres, and extracellular matrix.
Fibers of connective tissue
Collagen fibers: they are thick fibrous proteins that do not branch. They are abundant and
found in almost all connective tissue organs
Type-I :found in dermis of skin, tendons, ligaments, and bone. They are strong and offer
resistance to tensile stresses
Type-II . Present in hyaline and elastic cartilage. They provide resistance to pressure.
Type-III. Thin,branching reticular fibres that form a delicate meshwork in organs such as
lymph nodes, spleen and bone marrow
Type-IV. They are present in basal lamina of basement membrane.
Elastic fibers: Thin small branching fibres that can stretch. They are composed of
microfibrils and contain a protein elastin. They have less tensile strength. They are found in
abundance in lungs,bladder and skin.
Reticular fibers: consist mainly type III collagen, are thin and form a delicate netlike
framework. They are seen in the liver, lymph nodes, spleen, hemopoietic organs, and in
locations where blood and lymph are filtered. They support capillaries, nerves, and muscle
cells. They are visible only when the tissue is stained with silver stain.
Cells seen in loose connective tissue
Resident cells:
1.Fibroblasts: an elongated cell with cytoplasmic projections, ovoid nucleus, sparse
chromatin, one or two nuclei. Fibrocyte is a mature smaller spindle-shaped cell without
cytoplasmic projections. The nucleus is smaller than in the fibroblast.
2. Macrophages: round cell with irregular outlines. Small nucleus, rich in chromatin,
cytoplasm filled with dense ingested particles.
3. Mast cells: ovoid cell with a small centrally placed nucleus, cytoplasm filled with fine
closely packed dense-staining granules.
4. Adipose cells: a narrow rim of cytoplasm and a flattened, eccentric nucleus.
Transient cell population
5. Lymphocytes: spherical in shape large cells have greater amount of cytoplasm. Nuclei
are densely stained but there is no nucleoli.
6.Plasma cells: small eccentrically placed nucleus with condensed coarse chromatin clumps
distributed peripherally in a cartwheel pattern and one central mass.
Chapter-III
GENERAL CONNECTIVE TISSUE
Connective tissue is present to support different elements within an organ. The components
of this tissue are cells, fibres, and extracellular matrix.
Fibers of connective tissue
Collagen fibers: they are thick fibrous proteins that do not branch. They are abundant and
found in almost all connective tissue organs
Type-I :found in dermis of skin, tendons, ligaments, and bone. They are strong and offer
resistance to tensile stresses
Type-II . Present in hyaline and elastic cartilage. They provide resistance to pressure.
Type-III. Thin,branching reticular fibres that form a delicate meshwork in organs such as
lymph nodes, spleen and bone marrow
Type-IV. They are present in basal lamina of basement membrane.
Elastic fibers: Thin small branching fibres that can stretch. They are composed of
microfibrils and contain a protein elastin. They have less tensile strength. They are found in
abundance in lungs,bladder and skin.
Reticular fibers: consist mainly type III collagen, are thin and form a delicate netlike
framework. They are seen in the liver, lymph nodes, spleen, hemopoietic organs, and in
locations where blood and lymph are filtered. They support capillaries, nerves, and muscle
cells. They are visible only when the tissue is stained with silver stain.
Cells seen in loose connective tissue
Resident cells:
1.Fibroblasts: an elongated cell with cytoplasmic projections, ovoid nucleus, sparse
chromatin, one or two nuclei. Fibrocyte is a mature smaller spindle-shaped cell without
cytoplasmic projections. The nucleus is smaller than in the fibroblast.
2. Macrophages: round cell with irregular outlines. Small nucleus, rich in chromatin,
cytoplasm filled with dense ingested particles.
3. Mast cells: ovoid cell with a small centrally placed nucleus, cytoplasm filled with fine
closely packed dense-staining granules.
4. Adipose cells: a narrow rim of cytoplasm and a flattened, eccentric nucleus.
Transient cell population
5. Lymphocytes: spherical in shape large cells have greater amount of cytoplasm. Nuclei
are densely stained but there is no nucleoli.
6.Plasma cells: small eccentrically placed nucleus with condensed coarse chromatin clumps
distributed peripherally in a cartwheel pattern and one central mass.
