Cell Shapes and Sizes

Squamous Cells

sunny-side up egg shape, lines the esophagus and covers the skin, squamous skin carcinogen is common due to excessive sun exposure

Polygonal Cells

angular shapes, has 4 or more sides, common in connective tissues

Stellate Cells

starlike shape; seen in nerve cells

Cuboidal Cells

square shape, as tall as they are wide, common in kidney tubules and glands

Columnar Cells

taller than they are wide; look like tubes, line the intestinal walls, intestinal cancers come from these cells

Sphere/Ovoid Cells

round to oval

Fat cells can be both

Discoid Cells

a disc with a small indentation in the center

Red blood cells

Fusiform Cells

thick in the middle with tapered ends; looks like a parasitic worm, Smooth muscles have these due to stretching capability

Fibrous cells

fiber or threadlike shape, found in skeletal muscles, stretching and mobility capability

Size Matters!

Most human cells range from 10-15 um, the human egg cell is large at 100 um, the longest human cell is the nerve cell