Dense connective tissue, also called dense fibrous tissue, is a type of connective tissue with fibers as its main matrix element.[1] The fibers are mainly composed of type I collagen. Crowded between the collagen fibers are rows of fibroblasts, fiber-forming cells, that generate the fibers. Dense connective tissue forms strong, rope-like structures such as tendons and ligaments. Tendons attach skeletal musclestobones; ligaments connect bones to bones at joints. Ligaments are more stretchy and contain more elastic fibers than tendons. Dense connective tissue also make up the lower layers of the skin (dermis), where it is arranged in sheets.[2] In addition, the sclera contains dense connective tissue[3]
| Dense connective tissue | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | textus connectivus compactus |
| TH | H2.00.03.1.00003 |
| Anatomical terms of microanatomy | |
It is classified as either dense regular connective tissueordense irregular connective tissue.[4]
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