General Characteristics of Epithelial Tissue
- The epithelium is made up of closely packed, flattened cells that line the inside or outside of body cavities. There isn’t a lot of intercellular material.
- The tissue is avascular, which means it lacks blood vessels. Diffusion transports nutrients and waste between neighbouring connective tissues.
- The epithelium’s upper surface is free or exposed to the outside of the body or an internal body cavity. The basal surface is supported by connective tissue. Between the epithelial and connective tissue layers, a thin extracellular layer known as the basement membrane forms.
Epithelial Tissue
A structural organisation in animals begins with the smallest fundamental unit – the cell. Tissues are made up of a collection of cells that all serve the same purpose. When tissues join together to perform specific functions, organs form. All organisms in the animal kingdom are multicellular, but their cell organisation does not follow the same pattern.
Every cell in our bodies is trained to perform a specific function. A tissue is made up of similar types of cells that are classified based on their structure and functions. The human body is made up of four different types of tissue: epithelial, connective, neural, and muscular.