Connective Tissue – Our Daily Bread

An Introduction for the Curious

Behind the humble, even somewhat disparaging term connective tissue, there's much more than meets the eye at first thought:

What is Connective Tissue and Why is it Special?

Unlike other tissues in our body like skin, muscle, and nerve tissue, which are made up of cellular assemblies, connective and supporting tissue is composed of distributed cells, more or less fibers, and intercellular substances (known as the extracellular matrix or ground substance), which can be liquid, semi-liquid, or solid. One can imagine it as a meshwork that ranges from being more to less permeable.

Where is the Connective Tissue Located?

It is a tissue that lies between other tissues and encapsulates and supports organs and body parts.

Supporting tissue refers to the harder connective tissues like cartilage and bone, where the support function is predominant, providing the body with structure.

Connective tissue performs crucial metabolic, cleaning, storage, information, and defense functions! Connective tissue originates from embryonic mesenchyme.

What Makes Up Connective Tissue?

The Two Cell Families of Connective Tissue

Fixed Connective Tissue Cells

There are the stationary, fixed (specific) connective tissue cells. These cells produce the building blocks (proteins) and the intercellular substance and are involved in the regeneration, adaptation, and growth of connective tissue! All components of the matrix - except for water - are produced intracellularly by these fixed cells!

The most important products include various collagen, reticulin, and elastin proteins.

Free Connective Tissue Cells

On the other hand, there are free, mobile (general) cells that have exited the blood vessels and mostly belong to the immune system. These free connective tissue cells are not stationary and can move within the connective tissue in an amoeboid manner. Almost all represent forms of white blood cells (leukocytes).

The Ground Substance

The ground substance is formed by the fixed connective tissue cells and consists of proteoglycans, which are macromolecules where the polysaccharide part (sugar) is quantitatively greater than the protein part (proteins).

These molecules not only serve as energy stores but are also vital for binding cations and water.

In summary, connective tissue consists of fixed and free connective tissue cells, fibers (mainly collagen, reticulin, and elastin fibers) in varying amounts and extent, as well as a lot of water enriched with molecules, all forming an extensive meshwork. Our connective tissue.

The connective tissue forms and is thus part of the interstitium, the extracellular space. Everything the cells give off passes into the connective tissue...

What Does Our Connective Tissue Need?

To keep connective tissue healthy, two factors are essential:

• The cells need an ample supply of nutrients and oxygen

  For the continuous synthesis of necessary components, nutrients must be delivered directly within the tissue through vessels, and the cells must be supplied via intercellular fluid.

• Physiological stress on the tissue through movement

  Load or unload. For connective tissue at bones, tendons, and muscles: regularly bring them to their maximum length and contraction. Bones, cartilage, discs, and menisci get their stress through body weight and muscle contractions.

  For capsules and ligaments, joints must be moved to their fullest extent. A lack thereof leads to degeneration of the connective tissue, for example: when a leg is no longer bent for a long time, the joint "rusts up".

  A mechanical deformation of a cell itself forms an additional synthesis stimulus through piezoelectric activity (Piezoelectricity: the change of electrical polarization and thus the appearance of an electrical voltage in solids when they are elastically deformed, Wikipedia). Learn more about this on our blog Disc - Structure & Function.

  
  

Philosophy: Life means movement.

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Your BodyLab Team - Your Connective Tissue Specialists

Osteopathy and Physiotherapy | Rehabilitation and Training

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Learn more in another blog about our Bone Tissue.