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]]