FIBRILLAR EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX
FIBERS OF THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX
A convenient place to observe these fibers is the mesentery. It is a thin, semitransparent membrane of connective tissue coated on both sides by one layer of flat epithelial cells, a mesothelium. If you do not remember what a mesothelium is, click on the Glossary link at the top of the page.
The mesentery attaches several organs of the abdominal cavity to its inner wall and helps to keep them in their proper places. It carries blood and lymphatic vessels and nerves.
The image shows a small fragment of mesentery that was fixed with a histological fixative, stained and placed on a histological slide.
As it is thin and translucent it can be observed under a light microscope. This type of histological preparation in which a fragment of an organ or tissue is placed on a glass slide is called a total preparation or whole-mount.
A convenient place to observe these fibers is the mesentery. It is a thin, semitransparent membrane of connective tissue coated on both sides by one layer of flat epithelial cells, a mesothelium. If you do not remember what a mesothelium is, click on the Glossary link at the top of the page.
The mesentery attaches several organs of the abdominal cavity to its inner wall and helps to keep them in their proper places. It carries blood and lymphatic vessels and nerves.
The image shows a small fragment of mesentery that was fixed with a histological fixative, stained and placed on a histological slide.
As it is thin and translucent it can be observed under a light microscope. This type of histological preparation in which a fragment of an organ or tissue is placed on a glass slide is called a total preparation or whole-mount.
