Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Functions of epithelial tissue: The principle function of epithelial tissues are covering and lining of free surface; The cells of the body's surface form the outer layer of skin. Inside the body, epithelial cells form the lining of the mouth and alimentary canal and protect these organs. Epithelial tissues help in the elimination of waste.
Epithelium or epithelial tissue is a thin, continuous, protective layer of cells with little extracellular matrix. An example is the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epithelial (mesothelial) tissues line the outer surfaces of many internal organs, the corresponding inner surfaces of body cavities, and the inner surfaces of blood vessels.
A simple squamous epithelium, also known as pavement epithelium and tessellated epithelium, is a single layer of flattened, polygonal cells in contact with the basal lamina (one of the two layers of the basement membrane) of the epithelium. [1]
A stratified squamous epithelium consists of squamous (flattened) epithelial cells arranged in layers upon a basal membrane.Only one layer is in contact with the basement membrane; the other layers adhere to one another to maintain structural integrity.
The cells in the respiratory epithelium are of five main types: a) ciliated cells, b) goblet cells, c) brush cells, d) airway basal cells, and e) small granule cells (NDES) [6] Goblet cells become increasingly fewer further down the respiratory tree until they are absent in the terminal bronchioles; club cells take over their role to some extent here. [7]
The basement membrane acts as a mechanical barrier, preventing malignant cells from invading the deeper tissues. [7] Early stages of malignancy that are thus limited to the epithelial layer by the basement membrane are called carcinoma in situ. The basement membrane is also essential for angiogenesis (development of new blood vessels).
Subsets of sensory intestinal epithelial cells synapse with nerves, [9] and are known as neuropod cells. [10] Paneth cells produce antimicrobial peptides such as human alpha-defensin. [11] [12] Microfold cells (commonly referred to as M cells) sample antigens from the lumen and deliver them to the lymphoid tissue associated with the mucosa (MALT).
Goblet cells are simple columnar epithelial cells, having a height of four times that of their width. The cytoplasm of goblet cells tends to be displaced toward the basal end of the cell body by the large mucin granules, which accumulate near the apical surface of the cell along the Golgi apparatus, which lies between the granules and the nucleus.