Dense connective tissue
2921991
199719036
2008-03-21T00:28:27Z
76.83.18.214
/* External links */
<!-- This may well be a copyvio but I couldn't easily find a website from which it might have been taken. It's also possible that the article doesn't make sense or is at the wrong location but I don't know anything about the subject and can't tell. - Haukur -->
'''Dense connective tissue''', also called '''dense fibrous tissue''', has [[collagen]] fibers as its main matrix element. It is mainly composed of collagen type I. Crowded between the collagen fibers are rows of [[fibroblast]]s, fiber-forming cells, that manufacture the fibers. Dense connective tissue forms strong, rope-like structures such as [[tendon]]s and [[ligament]]s. Tendons attach [[skeletal muscle]]s to [[bone]]s; ligaments connect bones to bones at joints. Ligaments are more stretchy and contain more elastic fibers than tendons. Dense connective tissue also make up the lower layers of the [[skin]] (dermis), where it is arranged in sheets.
==Types==
It is often divided into "regular" and "irregular":
* ''Dense regular connective tissue'' provides strong connection between different tissues. The collagen fibers in dense regular connective tissue are bundled in a parallel fashion. [[Tendon]]s, which connect muscle to bone, derive their strength from the regular, longitudinal arrangement of bundles of elastic fibers. [[Ligaments]] bind bone to bone and are similar in structure to tendons.
* ''Dense irregular connective tissue'' has fibers that are not arranged in parallel bundles as in dense regular connective tissue. This tissue comprises a large portion of the [[dermis|dermal layer of skin]].
==External links==
* {{UCDavisOrganology|TermsCells&Tissues/connective/dense/dense1}} - "Connective tissue, dense (LM, Low)"
* [http://www.cytochemistry.net/microanatomy/connective_tissue/dense_connective_tissue.htm Histology at cytochemistry.net]
* [http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/histomanual/connective.html Overview at downstate.edu]
{{anatomy-stub}}
{{Connective tissue}}
[[Category:Tissues]]
[[pt:Tecido conjuntivo denso]]