EPITHELIA

Tissues, which cover the external body surface and line the body cavities or tubular organs so they represent
the borders between external and internal environment of the body.

They have different functions: mechanical defence (covering ep.), selective diffusion, absorption, secretion
etc. in relation to their structure.

Their cells are closely arranged (the exception are reticular ep. cells in thymus); adhesion between these cells
is strong.

The cells are in contact with basal lamina (BL)/basement membrane (BM), which separates them from
underlying loose CT.

The ep. cells are polar: they exhibit free apical surface and basal surface resting on a BL. Ep. are avascular (the only exception is stria vascularis in the internal ear which contains capillaries). The nutrients + O2 only diffuse through BL. Ep. cells are renewed continuously (by means of mitotic activity); this renewal rate is variable.
EPITHELOID STRUCTURES = the arrangement of the cells resembles ep. cells but BL (BM) is absent - 1 cell layer: osteoblast, odontoblasts, ependymal cells - synovial membrane (lines the articular surfaces) is formed by fibroblasts, i. e. CT cells (in 1 6 layers)

COVERING EPITHELIUM
- demonstration of the preparations
Author: Jana KARBANOV, M.D., Ph.D. Dept. of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine in Hradci Krlov

OCTOBER 2006

SIMPLE SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

1. ENDOTHELIUM
- lining of vessels (blood and lymphatic) - endocardium = lining of the heart cavities Demonstration: pulmonary artery (lining of inner/luminal surface)
BL

SIMPLE SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

1. ENDOTHELIUM
- lining of vessels (blood and lymphatic) - endocardium = lining of the heart cavities Demonstration: pulmonary artery (lining of inner/luminal surface)
BL

SIMPLE SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

2. MESOTHELIUM
- ep. of serose membranes = lining of the body cavities and of the outer surface of the organs located in those cavities) Demonstration: pleura (outer surface of the lung)

SIMPLE CUBOIDAL EPITHELIUM

- chorioid plexus
- small ducts of glands - some renal tubules - anterior ep. of the lens, pigment ep. of the retina, surface ep. of the ovary Demonstration: chorioid plexus (a gland in the brain ventricles producing CSF)

SIMPLE COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

1 (with single microvilli): smaller ducts of glands, bile passages, stomach 2 - with brush border (resorption): intestine, gallbladder 3 with kinocilia: oviduct, uterus Demonstration: duodenum (semithin section) uterus

SIMPLE COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

1 (with single microvilli): smaller ducts of glands, bile passages, stomach 2 - with brush border (resorption): intestine, gallbladder 3 with kinocilia: oviduct, uterus Demonstration: duodenum (semithin section)

SIMPLE COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

1 (with single microvilli): smaller ducts of glands, bile passages, stomach 2 - with brush border (resorption): intestine, gallbladder 3 with kinocilia: oviduct, uterus Demonstration: jejunum uterus

SIMPLE COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

1 (with single microvilli): smaller ducts of glands, bile passages, stomach 2 - with brush border (resorption): intestine, gallbladder 3 with kinocilia: oviduct, uterus Demonstration: jejunum

SIMPLE COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

1 (with single microvilli): smaller ducts of glands, bile passages, stomach 2 - with brush border (resorption): intestine, gallbladder 3 with kinocilia: oviduct, uterus Demonstration: uterus

SIMPLE COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

1 (with single microvilli): smaller ducts of glands, bile passages, stomach 2 - with brush border (resorption): intestine, gallbladder 3 with kinocilia: oviduct, uterus Demonstration: uterus

SIMPLE COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

1 smaller ducts of glands, bile passages, stomach 2 - with brush border (resorption): intestine, gallbladder 3 with kinocilia: oviduct, uterus Demonstration: oviduct

PSEUDOSTRATIFIED CUBOIDAL EPITHELIUM = UROTELIUM = TRANSITIONAL EP.

urothelium = lining ep. exclusively of urinary passages (renal calyces, renal pelvis, ureter, urinary bladder, a short part of the urethra) transitional ep. = the ability to change the height of cells but also the number of rows of cells (to transit) different height of ep. in state of 1 - contraction = empty bladder 2 dilatation (stretched ep.) = full bladder Demonstration: urinary bladder NOTE ! transitional ep.= pseudostratified cuboidal ep. and ep. of transitional zones = stratified columnar ep. !!! 1 2

PSEUDOSTRATIFIED CUBOIDAL EPITHELIUM = UROTELIUM = TRANSITIONAL EP.

urothelium = lining ep. exclusively of urinary passages (renal calyces, renal pelvis, ureter, urinary bladder, a short part of the urethra) Demonstration: urinary bladder

PSEUDOSTRATIFIED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

A. with kinocilia respiratory passages (a part of the nasal cavity,
nasopharynx, laryngeal surface of the epiglottis, larynx; trachea, bronchi) Demonstration: large intrapulmonary bronchus

PSEUDOSTRATIFIED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

A. with kinocilia respiratory passages (a part of the nasal cavity,
nasopharynx, laryngeal surface of the epiglottis, larynx; trachea, bronchi) Demonstration: large intrapulmonary bronchus

PSEUDOSTRATIFIED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

B. with stereocilia male genital ducts
1 with stereocilia : duct. epididymidis, duct. deferens 2 (without stereocilia) with microvilli: ampula of duct. deferens Demonstration: duct. epididymidis 1 2

STRATIFIED CUBOIDAL EPITHELIUM

- double-layered ep. - ducts of sweat and aromatic (large sweat) glands
Preparation: axilla

STRATIFIED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

A. as a lining ep. of organs
- male urethra the main portion in the penis = penile urethra - conjunctiva covers the inner surface of the eyelid and a part of the sclera (the outer surface of the eyeball) Demonstration: male urethra penis

STRATIFIED COLUMNAR EPITHELIUM

B. EPITHELIUM OF TRANSITIONAL ZONES

stratified squamous non-keratinized ep.

stratified columnar ep.

pseudostratified columnar ep.

- permits transition of one type of covering ep. (stratified squamous non-keratinized) to another one (pseudostratified columnar) - a very typical is on the laryngeal surface of the epiglottis - shares the features of both epithelia: it is stratified as the former epithelium and columnar as the latter one

STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

A. NON-KERATINIZED = mucousal ep.
- mouth cavity - pharynx - oesophagus - a part of the anal canal - vagina a large number of rows of cells = a very thick ep., much thicker than thinly keratinized ep. (thin epidermis) !!! Demonstration: lip mucousal (inner) surface

STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

B. KERATINIZED (cornified) = EPIDERMIS = SKIN EPITHELIUM 1 THINLY keratinized
- the entire body surface except for the palm of hand and the sole of foot Demonstration: lip skin (outer) surface

2 THICKLY keratinized
- exclusively the palm of hand and the sole of foot (incl. the lower side of fingers and toes) Preparation: skin of the palm or of the finger BOTH TYPES DIFFER above all in the thickness of the keratinized layer, which is several times thicker in thickly keratinized ep. but also other layers are thicker in this ep.(with exception of basal stratum only, which is always formed of one line of cells)

STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

B. KERATINIZED (cornified) = EPIDERMIS = SKIN EPITHELIUM 1 THINLY keratinized
- the entire body surface except for the palm of hand and the sole of foot Demonstration: lip skin (outer) surface

STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

B. KERATINIZED (cornified) = EPIDERMIS = SKIN EPITHELIUM 2 THICKLY keratinized
- exclusively the palm of hand and the sole of foot (incl. the lower side of fingers and toes) Preparation: skin of the palm or of the finger BOTH TYPES DIFFER above all in the thickness of the keratinized layer, which is several times thicker in thickly keratinized ep. but also other layers are thicker in this ep.(with exception of basal stratum only, which is always formed of one line of cells)

STRATIFIED SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM

B. KERATINIZED (cornified) = EPIDERMIS = SKIN EPITHELIUM 2 THICKLY keratinized
- exclusively the palm of hand and the sole of foot (incl. the lower side of fingers and toes) Preparation: skin of the palm or of the finger