Reticular connective tissue

In cellular biology, reticular connective tissue is a type of connective tissue with a network of reticular fibers, made of type III collagen. Reticular fibers are not unique to reticular connective tissue, but only in this tissue type are they dominant.
Reticular fibers are synthesized by special fibroblasts called reticular cells. The fibers are thin branching structures.

Location

Reticular connective tissue is found around the kidney, liver, the spleen, and lymph nodes, Peyer's patches as well as in bone marrow.

Function

The fibers form a soft skeleton to support the lymphoid organs.
Adipose tissue is held together by reticular fibers.

Staining

They can be identified in histology by staining with a heavy metal like silver or the PAS stain that stains carbohydrates.
Gordon and Gold can also be used.

Appearance

Reticular connective tissue resembles areolar connective tissue, but the only fibers in its matrix are reticular fibers, which form a delicate network along which fibroblasts called reticular cells lie scattered. Although reticular fibers are widely distributed in the body, reticular tissue is limited to certain sites. It forms a labyrinth-like stroma, or internal framework, that can support many free blood cells in lymph nodes, the spleen, and red bone marrow.

Classification

There are more than 20 types of reticular fibers. In Reticular Connective Tissue type III collagen/reticular fiber is the major fiber component. It forms the architectural framework of liver, adipose tissue, bone marrow, spleen and basement membrane, to name a few.