STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM – 2
At first glance, it may not be easy or obvious to see that the shape of the cells varies according to their distance from the basal layer.
Observe in the image the following details:
The basal layer, situated at the lowest position of the epithelial layer, is supported by connective tissue. The nuclei of its cells are very close to that of their neighbors, meaning that the cells do not have much cytoplasm.
A little higher up, the cells increase their size and the nuclei become apart from each other. The cell shapes still appear to be polyhedral.
At a certain level of the layer can be seen elongated nuclei (yellow arrows after moving the mouse or clicking). This indicates that the cells became flattened, like in a pavement.
The nuclei of the most superficial cells of the epithelial layer are more heavily stained and quite flattened (green arrows). These cells are very thin, resembling tiles or scales. They are the cells that undergo constant desquamation.
Observe in the image the following details:
The basal layer, situated at the lowest position of the epithelial layer, is supported by connective tissue. The nuclei of its cells are very close to that of their neighbors, meaning that the cells do not have much cytoplasm.
A little higher up, the cells increase their size and the nuclei become apart from each other. The cell shapes still appear to be polyhedral.
At a certain level of the layer can be seen elongated nuclei (yellow arrows after moving the mouse or clicking). This indicates that the cells became flattened, like in a pavement.
The nuclei of the most superficial cells of the epithelial layer are more heavily stained and quite flattened (green arrows). These cells are very thin, resembling tiles or scales. They are the cells that undergo constant desquamation.
