adipose tissue

(noun)

Connective tissue that stores fat and cushions and insulates the body.

Related Terms

Examples of adipose tissue in the following topics:

  • Other Hormone-Producing Structures

    • Many tissues within the body release hormones including the placenta, kidneys, digestive system, and adipose tissue.
    • In biology, adipose tissue or body fat or fat depot or just fat is loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes.
    • Adipose tissue is derived from lipoblasts.
    • The two types of adipose tissue are white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT).
    • The formation of adipose tissue appears to be controlled in part by the adipose gene.

  • Types of Connective Tissue

    • Connective tissues encompass a diverse array of tissue types that are involved in binding and supporting body structure and tissues.
    • Loose connective tissue is divided into 1) areolar, 2) adipose, 3) reticular.
    • The two types of adipose tissue are white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT).
    • Adipose tissue is found in specific locations, referred to as adipose depots.
    • Bone tissue is also called the osseous tissue.

  • Connective Tissues: Bone, Adipose, and Blood

    • Bone, adipose (fat) tissue, and blood are different types of connective tissue that are composed of cells surrounded by a matrix.
    • Adipose tissue, or fat tissue, is considered a connective tissue even though it does not have fibroblasts or a real matrix, and has only a few fibers.
    • Adipose tissue is composed of cells called adipocytes that collect and store fat in the form of triglycerides for energy metabolism .
    • Adipose tissues additionally serve as insulation to help maintain body temperatures, allowing animals to be endothermic.
    • Adipose (fat) is a connective tissue composed of cells called adipocytes.

  • Absorptive State

    • The glycogen and fat will be stored in the liver and adipose tissue, respectively, as reserves for the post-absorptive state.
    • Most of this will be reconstituted as triglycerides and stored in adipose tissue.
    • The rest will be used for energy in adipose cells, skeletal muscle and hepatocytes.

  • Organs with Secondary Endocrine Functions

    • These include the heart, kidneys, intestines, thymus, and adipose tissue.
    • Adipose tissue is a connective tissue found throughout the body.
    • Extremely thin females may enter puberty late; however, if adipose levels increase, more leptin will be produced, improving fertility.

  • Liposuction

    • Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure whereby extraneous adipose tissue is vacuumed away with several risks and side effects.
    • The safety of the technique relates, not only to the amount of tissue removed, but also to the choice of anesthetic and the patient's overall health.
    • To be a good candidate, one must usually be over 18 and in good general health, have an ongoing diet and exercise regime, and have fatty pockets of tissue available in certain body areas.
    • The basic surgical challenge of any liposuction procedure is to remove the right amount of fat, to cause the least disturbance of neighboring tissue, such as blood vessels and connective tissue, to leave the person's fluid balance undisturbed, and to cause the least discomfort to the patient.
    • WAL uses a thin fan-shaped water beam, which loosens the structure of the fat tissue so that it can be removed by a special cannula.

  • Characteristics of Muscle Tissue

    • The three types of muscle tissue are skeletal, smooth, and cardiac.
    • Muscle tissue is a soft tissue, and there are three types of muscle tissue recognized in vertebrates.
    • The density of mammalian skeletal muscle tissue is about 1.06 kg/liter.
    • This can be contrasted with the density of adipose tissue (fat), which is 0.9196 kg/liter.
    • This makes muscle tissue approximately 15% denser than fat tissue.

  • Metastasis Through Lymphatic Vessels

    • Cancer occurs after a single cell in a tissue is progressively genetically damaged to produce a cancer stem cell possessing a malignant phenotype.
    • Some cancer cells also acquire the ability to penetrate and infiltrate surrounding normal tissues in the local area, forming a new tumor.
    • The newly formed "daughter" tumor in the adjacent site within the tissue is called a local metastasis.
    • By degrading the ECM, which acts as a barrier to adjoining tissue, cancer cells are able to breach the ECM and enter the lymphatic system.
    • Adipose tissue is present on the upper right.

  • Hormones of the Digestive System

    • There are hormones secreted by tissues and organs in the body that are transported through the bloodstream to the satiety center, a region in the brain that triggers impulses that give us feelings of hunger or aid in suppressing our appetite.
    • Leptin is produced by adipose fat tissue and targets the hypothalamus.

  • Metabolic Functions

    • Beneath this, the dermis comprises two sections, the papillary and reticular layers, and contains connective tissues, vessels, glands, follicles, hair roots, sensory nerve endings, and muscular tissue.
    • The deepest layer is the hypodermis, which is primarily made up of adipose tissue.
    • Substantial collagen bundles anchor the dermis to the hypodermis in a way that permits most areas of the skin to move freely over the deeper tissue layers.
    • The protein keratin stiffens epidermal tissue to form fingernails.
    • Types of cells that are found in the hypodermis are fibroblasts, adipose cells, and macrophages.