connective tissue is a very important tissue in the human body it have abundant intercellular substances ,blood vesselsand nerves

3. The human body
made up of four
basic tissue types
1. Epithelium
2. Connective
3. Muscle
4. Nervous

4. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a disease that weakens the connective
tissues of your body.

5. The Connective Tissue
Connective tissue consists of widely
separated cells in an abundant extracelluar
matrix consisting of strong fibers and gel-like
ground substance.

6. General Characteristics
Connects, binds and supports various tissues
and organs
Consists of cells, fibers and intercellular
substance
Matrix contains blood vessels, lymphatics and
nerves
Types of CT:
1. Embryonic C.T (Mesenchymal &mucous C.T)
2. Adult C.T:
 C.T proper (ordinary)
 Specialized Connective Tissues
 Supporting C.T

7. Classification of CT
 Embryonic connective tissues
• Mesenchymal
• Mucous
 Adult connective tissues
• Loose (areolar)
• Reticular
• Adipose
• Dense irregular
• Dense regular
 Specialized connective tissues
• Supporting tissues
• Cartilage
• Bone
• Blood

9. Connective tissue
Connective tissue proper
Loose
Dense
Regular
Irregular
Connective tissue with
special properties
Adipose connective tissue
Yellow elastic tissue
Mucoid tissue
Supporting
connective
tissue
Bone
Cartilage
Reticular connective tissue

10. Components of
C.T
Fibers
Cells Ground
substances

11. Ground substances
Highly hydrophilic
Viscous, Transparent
Consist of:
1. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)
 Non-sulphated glycosaminoglycans
 Sulphated glycosaminoglycans
2.Glycoproteins
3.Proteoglycans (GAGs+Protein core)
Core protein
Glycosaminoglycans
molecules
Proteoglycans

12. Ground substances
Act as:
1. Binder between (cells &other matrix
components)
2. Reservoir of hormones (that control
cell growth &differentiation)
3. Medium (for nutrient & waste
metabolite exchange between cells and
blood supply)

15. C.T Fibers

16. CT Fibers
1.White collagenous fibers
(tough & resist stretch)
2.Yellow elastic fibers
(stretchable)
3. Reticular fibers
(Thin & delicate)

17. Collagen fibers
 Composed of a chain of amino acids:
 Lysine
 Proline
 Hydroxyproline
 Forming triple helix (Tropocollagen
molecules)
 Collagen fibrils
 Collagen fibers

18. Collagen fibers

19. Types of collagen
 Type I collagen: the most common
 Found in the dermis, tendons, ligaments, fascia,
bone, fibrocartilage, dentin, capsules of organs,
and sclera.
 Type II collagen:
 Found in hyaline cartilage and the vitreous body of
the eye.
 Type III collagen: (or reticular fibers)
Found in liver, spleen, lymph node.
 Type IV collagen:
 Associated with basal laminae (Basement
membrane).

20. Elastin
 Formed of :
 tropoelastin
protein
 microfibrils

21. CT Cells
 Undifferentiated
mesenchymal
cell
 Fibroblasts &
Fibrocytes
 Mast cell
 Fat cell
 Plasma cell
 Macrophage cell
 Blood
Leucocytes

22. Connective tissue cells:
Fixed (Resident)
Stable, long-lived, immobile
 Undifferentiated
mesenchymal cells
 Pericytes
 Fibroblast
 Macrophage
 Fat cells
 Mast cells
Wandering (Free)
Mobile , limited life span, motile
 Plasma cells
 Blood leucocyte
 Macrophage

23. Undifferentiated mesenchymal cell
 It is the mother cell of all
CT cells & active cell
 LM: Small branching with
oval open-face N and
basophilic cytoplasm
 EM: good amount of
ribosomes & RER

24. Pericyte:
Origin: Derived from UMC
Site: Surrounds endothelial cells of both capillaries, small venules
LM: Branched cell, large oval nucleus
EM: Small Golgi, mitochondria, RER
It contains microtubules & filaments (actin, myocin)
Function: May function in contraction (actin & myocin)
After injury can differentiate to smooth muscle or
endothelial cells

25. Fibroblast
 most common CT cells
L.M:
Cytoplasm:
 Basophilic, Abundant
 Irregularly branching,
Nucleus
 Ovoid
 open-face (large pale)
 Fine chromatin
 Prominent nucleolus
E.M increase rER, ribosomes, well developed Golgi &
mitochondria)

26. Fibroblast

27. Fibrocyte
Inactive cell form
L.M:
 Shape: smaller, spindle shaped, few processes
Nucleus:
 central flattened dense
E.M
 less rER

28. Mast cell
Present near blood vessels
LM:
 Shape: Oval
 Nucleus: rounded
vesicular usually
obscured by
cytoplasmic granules
EM:
 Irregular borders, ribosomes,
RER, Golgi, mitochondria &
membrane-bound secretory
granules.
 The granules contain heparin,
histamine and other chemical
mediators.

29. Fat cell
 Arise from UMC
 droplets fuse → single
large globules → stretch
cytoplasm & push N →
signet ring shape
 LM: Globules dissolve
during preparation →
empty spaces

30. Sudan III fat cells

31. Plasma cell
Arise from activated B lymphocytes
LM:
 Shape: Small oval or rounded
 Cytoplasm: basophilic
 Nucleus: eccentric with cart-
wheel chromatin with –ve
Golgi image
 Russelle bodies (lysosomes)
EM:
 Picture of protein secreting
cell; ribosomes, RER, well
developed Golgi,
mitochondria
 Secrete Immunoglobulin

32. Macrophage cell
 Arise from monocytes
LM:
 Large, irregular outline
 Nucleus : eccentric
deeply stained kidney-
shaped
EM:
 rER, Golgi,
mitochondria,lysosomes
& phagosomes
 Phagocytosis of foreign
particles & antigen
presentig cell

33. Connective tissue
Connective tissue proper
Loose

34. Loose (areolar) CT
 Common
 Supports epithelial tissue
 Form thick layer (the lamina
propria) beneath the
epithelial lining of the
digestive system
 Fills the spaces between
muscle and nerve fibers
 All elements of CT:
 cells, fibers, and ground
substance in roughly equal
parts
 Flexible

35. Collogen.F
Elastic.F

36. Loose (areolar) CT

37. Connective tissue
Connective tissue proper
Loose
Dense
Regular
Irregular
Connective tissue with
special properties
Supporting
connective
tissue

38. Dense (collagenous) CT
 Fewer cells and a large
amount of collagen fibers
over ground substance.
 arranged in rows in between
the bundles with minimal
intercellular substance
 It is tough and resist stretch
 Two types
→Regular (cornea & tendon)
→Irregular (sclera, ligaments
& periosteum)

39. Dense White (collagenous)
regular CT

40. Dense Irregular CT
Collagen fibers
T.S
Collagen fibers
L.S

41. Connective tissue
Connective tissue proper
Loose
Dense
Regular
Irregular
Connective tissue with
special properties
Supporting
connective
tissue
Adipose connective tissue

42. Adipose (fatty) CT
 Groups of fat cells
separated by septa of
loose CT (this loose CT
contains blood vessels
lymphatics and nerves
 Differentiated into white
and brown adipose
tissue

44. Connective tissue
Connective tissue proper
Loose
Dense
Regular
Irregular
Connective tissue with
special properties
Supporting
connective
tissue
Adipose connective tissue
Yellow elastic tissue

45. Yellow elastic CT
 Formed of elastic fibers
with fibroblasts and
fibrocytes in between
and reduced
intercellular substance
 Present in large elastic
arteries (aorta)

46. 
Yellow elastic CT

47. Yellow elastic CT

48. Connective tissue
Connective tissue proper
Loose
Dense
Regular
Irregular
Connective tissue with
special properties
Supporting
connective
tissue
Adipose connective tissue
Yellow elastic tissue
Mucoid tissue

49. Mucoid CT
 Network of fibroblast with
intercommunicating
processes embedded in soft,
jelly-like intercellular
substance rich in mucin
 Present in umbilical cord
(Wharton’s jelly)& vitreous
humour of the eye

50. Mucoid Connective Tissue

51. Mucoid Connective Tissue

52. Connective tissue
Connective tissue proper
Loose
Dense
Regular
Irregular
Connective tissue with
special properties
Supporting
connective
tissue
Adipose connective tissue
Yellow elastic tissue
Mucoid tissue
Reticular connective tissue

53. Reticular
CT
 Formed of reticular fibers and
reticular cells with hardly any
inter-cellular substance
 Form stromal network of
many parenchymatous organs
e.g. spleen, lymph node, liver,
kidney

54. Components of
C.T
Fibers Cells
Ground
substances
Collagen. F
Elastic .F
Reticular .F Cells

55. Adipose C.T

56. Dense regular C.T

57. Loose areolar C.T

58. Yellow elastic C.T

59. Reticular C.T

60. Mucoid C.T

62. Thank you