| Adipose connective tissue is a loose, fibrous tissue containing a watery matrix, adipocyctes (lipid producing cells), and reticular fibers remaining from the original fetal mesenchyme (the fetal tissue used to make all adult adult connective tissues). It is found below epithelial membranes (in the hypodermis, or subcutaneous layer), behind the eyeball, around the kidneys and heart, and within the skeletal muscle of overweight humans. The adipocytes produce varying amounts of lipids that function in insulation and energy-storage processes. Thus in microscopy, you should see small, somewhat rounded openings (the adipocytes) with nuclei squeezed to the edge by the cytoplasmic lipid vacuoles. If you look carefully, you will also see areolar connective tissue squeezed between some cells and perhaps even collapsing cell membranes when a person is losing weight! This is not the answer that I was looking for, however! Lets return to the original question. |