Fibrocytes-Fibroblasts

In connective tissue sections, the nonmotile (fixed) fibrocytes look like thin, spindle-shaped elements. However, their true shape can be brought out in thin whole-mount preparations. Fibrocytes are sometimes rounded, some-times elongated, flattened cells with membranous or thorn-like processes 1 .

The cell processes of ten touch each other and form a web. Their large, mostly oval nuclei feature a delicate chromatin structure (not visible in this preparation). Here, the nuclei appear homogeneous.Fibroblasts biosynthesize all components of the fibers and the extracellular matrix (ground substances). Fibrocytes are fibroblasts that show much lower rates of biosynthetic activity.

Figure     : Fibrocytes—Fibroblasts

1 Fibrocytes with cytoplasmic processes

2 Nuclei from free connective tissue cells

References

Kuehnel, W.(2003). Color Atlas of Cytology, Histology, and Microscopic Anatomy. 4^th edition . Institute of Anatomy Universitätzu Luebeck Luebeck, Germany . Thieme Stuttgart · New York .