Connective Tissue I

Histology 2016-2017
Department of Anatomy &Histology: Dr.Rajaa Ali
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CONNECTIVE TISSUE I
Connective tissue is one of the basic tissues which gives structural and metabolic support to other tissues and organs of the body. It connects
other tissues.

GENERAL FEATURES
_ Connective tissue is made of:
(a) cells,
(b) fibres, and
(c) ground substance.
_ Unlike other tissues, the major constituent of connective tissue is its extracellular matrix. _ This extracellular matrix gives connective tissue its strength.
_ Although all types of connective tissue have the same basic structure, their physical properties depend on the composition of the extracellular matrix.

CLASSIFICATION OF CONNECTIVE TISSUE (BASED ON STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION):

Connective tissue can broadly be classifi ed into following four categories:
A. Ordinary connective tissue
1. Loose areolar connective tissue
_ It is a vascular, delicate, fl exible connective tissue where the fi bres are loosely arranged.
_ It serves as a packing material by fi lling spaces between various tissue components of an organ and giving it a shape, e.g. subperitoneal tissue, endomysium, lamina propria.
2. Dense collagenous connective tissue
_ It is a tough tensile connective tissue where the collagen fi bres are densely packed giving strength and resistance to traction forces. It is of the following two types: