Connective and Muscle Tissues

Loose Connective tissue appearance

• cells mostly fibroblasts, separated by gel-like ground substance with many collagenous and elastic fibers

• many blood vessels

Loose connective tissue function

binds organs, holds tissue fluids

Loose connective tissue location(s)

• beneath skin

• between muscles

• beneath epithelial tissues

Adipose tissue appearance

• enlarged white cells

• nuclei pushed to side

Adipose tissue function

• cushions joints and some organs

• insulates beneath skin

• stores energy in fat molecules

Adipose tissue locations

• beneath skin

• spaces between muscles

• around kidneys

• behind eyeballs

• some abdominal membranes

• surface of heart

• around some joints

Reticular connective tissue appearance

thin collagenous fibers in three dimensional network

Reticular connective tissue location

walls of liver, spleen, and lymphatic organs

Reticular connective tissue function

support

Irregular Dense connective tissue appearance

• thick interwoven collagenous and elastic fibers randomly organized

• few cells (mostly fibroblasts)

Irregular Dense connective tissue location

dermis (inner skin layer)

Irregular dense connective tissue function

binds organs

regular dense connective tissue appearance

• closely packed collagenous and elastic fibers (parallel)

• few cells (fibroblasts)

regular dense connective tissue location

• tendons

• ligaments

regular dense connective tissue function

binds body parts together

elastic connective tissue appearance

• yellow elastic fibers in parallel strands or branching networks

• collagenous fibers and fibroblasts between them

elastic connective tissue location

• attachments between bones of the spinal column

• in walls of certain hollow internal organs

elastic connective tissue function

provides elastic quality

Hyaline cartilage appearance

looks like white glass

Hyaline cartilage location

• ends of bones in joints

• soft part of nose

• supporting rings of respiratory passages

Hyaline cartilage function

• supports

• protects

• provides framework for embryo’s skeleton

elastic cartilage appearance

cells with many elastic fibers

elastic cartilage location

external ear and part of larynx

elastic cartilage function

• supports

• protects

• provides flexible framework

Fibrocartilage appearance

• many collagenous fibers

• cells

fibrocartilage location

• intervertebral discs between vertebrae

• knee

• pelvic girdle

fibrocartilage function

• supports

• protects

• absorbs shock

bone description

• collagenous fibers

• osteoblasts in lamellae around capillaries

bone location

• bones of skeleton

• middle ear

bone function

• support

• protection

• provides framework

Blood description

cells and platelets in fluid matrix

blood location

throughout body within a closed system of blood vessels and heart chambers

blood function

• transports gases

• defends against disease

• clotting

skeletal muscle tissue description

• long threadlike cells

• striated

• many nuclei

skeletal muscle location

muscles usually attached to bone

skeletal muscle function

voluntary movement of skeletal parts

smooth muscle tissue description

• shorter cells

• one central nucleus

• not striated

• spindle shaped cells

smooth muscle tissue function

involuntary movement of internal organs

smooth muscle tissue location

walls of hollow internal organs

cardiac muscle tissue description

• striated and branched cells

• single nucleus

• cells are interconnected

cardiac muscle tissue function

heart movements

cardiac muscle location

heart muscle

nervous tissue description

cells with cytoplasmic extensions

nervous tissue function

sensory reception and conduction of nerve impulses

nervous tissue location

• brain

• spinal cord

• peripheral nerves

adip

fat

chondr

cartilage

cyt

cell

epi

upon

glia

glue

hist

web

hyal

resemblance to glass

inter

among, between

macr

large

neur

nerve

os

bone

phag

to eat

pseud

false

squam

scale

strat

layer

stria

groove