Connective tissue is major tissue found in mammals that plays an important role to hold the other tissues of the body together. Other major tissues are nervous tissue, muscle, and epithelial tissue. The epithelial tissue lies above connective tissue and other two tissues extend through the connective tissue.
The examples of Connective tissue are fat, fibrous tissue, bone, bone marrow, blood, and cartilage. It holds other organs in their position, protect them from shock, and fill the space. These cells lie freely in the extracellular matrix without any attachment with each other. It comprises two types of protein, collagen, and elastin. Collagen is fibers that strengthen bone and cartilage. Elastin is protein fibers that stretch the skin and other cells.
What Are The Six Types Of Connective Tissue Found In The Body?
There are six types of connective tissue found in the human body:
Loose Connective Tissue– as its name suggests, the cells of this tissue are scattered with loose fibers in its matrix. It lies under the skin and in between organs. the main function of loose connective tissue is to provide nutrition and prevent a shock or injury to the nearby organs, to fight against infection, hold organs together and allow nerves and blood vessels to pass through them.
Adipose Tissue-this tissue comprises fat-containing cells that swell up to store fat. It lies under the skin and around eyes, heart, kidneys, breast, and organs of the abdomen. It is a storehouse of energy. It preserves heat and acts as a protective layer against shock and injuries.
Dense Regular Tissue– this tissue is formed of densely packed cells in a pattern with parallel collagen fibers and fibroblasts. They are tendons and ligaments. They bind the bones together and provide attachment of the muscle to the bones.
Dense Irregular Tissue– this type of connective tissue has densely spaced cells whose fibers and fibroblasts are randomly arranged. They form protective capsules around many organs. They play an important role in the protection of organs from injury. They are found in the dermis of the skin, capsules around organs like liver, spleen, etc. they also form a fibrous sheath around the bones.
Cartilage– cartilage provides support and cushioning to the neighboring parts. It comprises a number of collagen fibers weakly spread in a rubbery matrix. It is found in the external ear, rings around the trachea, larynx, joint surfaces, growth areas of bones and vertebras in the spine. They help in extra movement of the joint, keeps the airway open, the growth of the bones of the children, provides shape to the outer ear, and movement of vocal cords.
Bone – it is most rigid connective tissue of the body. It comprises collagen fibers suspended in calcium salts. It is the hardest tissue of the body that does not brittle in a healthy condition. Most parts of the skeletal system are bones. They provide space for muscle attachment and protection to internal organs like skull protecting the brain, ribs protecting lungs or heart etc. they also store calcium and phosphorus. They provide shape, support, and movement to the body.
Connective tissue is the tissue found in mammals that hold other tissues together. It is covered by epithelial tissue. Muscle and nervous tissue run through them. The cells of connective tissue are not attached to one other; they lie in an extracellular matrix. This tissue is made up of two proteins namely elastin and collagen. There are six types of connective tissue, loose connective tissue, adipose tissue, dense regular tissue, dense irregular tissue, cartilage, and bone.
Conclusion
Connective tissue is a tissue that holds the cells together. They provide nourishment, stability, strength, and support to various organs of the body. The six types of connective tissue are bones, cartilage, and loose connective tissue, and adipose tissue, dense regular and irregular connective tissues.
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