Connective Tissue-Fat Cells & Other Cells

Fat cells

"Adipocytes" -very large, lipid containing cells found in loose connective tissue, where they occur singly or in small clusters -they have basement membranes

Other cells in connective tissue?

Connective tissue can also contain leukocytes that migrated from the blood -lymphocytes and eosinophils are the most common

Fat cell Appearance in H&E

The cells exhibit 'signet ring' they have flattened nucleus a the cell periphery, and a thin rim of cytoplasm encircling an empty space, this space used to have large lipid droplets- but were removed during tissue processing

Do Fat cells divide?

These long lived cells lose the capacity to divide when they become filled with lipid- but if some of the stored lipid is depleted, they can regain proliferative ability (damn-_-)

Brown Fat

called brown because its rich capillary supply and abundance of mitochondria -rare in adults -main functio is to metabolize Tgs and generate body heat

Dense regular connective tissue

collagen fiber are oriented in the same direction or in a highly regular fashion -allows large amounts of tension to be transmitted in the same direction without stretching -very few of these cells in this type, compressed in collagen -examples are ligaments, tendons, and aponeuroses

Dense irregular connective tissue

collagen fibers are oriented in different directions -this allows tissue to withstand stretching in several directions -examples is dermis of the skin and capsules of numerous organs

Classification of Connective Tissue

connective tissue is classified by its density of its constituent fibers(loose or dense) and orientation of those fibers (irregular or regular)

Dens Connective Tissue

connective tissue that has many fibers densely arranged

White Fat

most adult tissue, 10-20% of body weight in makes and 15-25% in females -mainly involved in synthesis, storage and mobilization of triglycerides, and providing thermal insulation -high caloric count of TG provides an efficient store for fuel for metabolism

Adipose Tissue

when the predominant cell type present is adipocyte, the tissue is adipose two kinds- brown fat and white fat