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Mesenchyme with a typical cell and ground substance

Mesenchyme (pointer) stained with H&E

Mesenchyme, or mesenchymal connective tissue, is an example of reticular connective tissue, a type of loose connective tissue, which is derived from all three germ layers and located within the embryo .^[1] Mesenchyme is characterized morphologically by a prominent ground substance matrix containing a loose aggregate of reticular fibrils and unspecialized cells.^[2] The cells are capable of developing into connective tissue, bone, cartilage, the lymphatic system, and the circulatory system.^[3][4]

Ectomesenchyme

Ectomesenchyme has similar properties to mesenchyme. The major difference is that ectomesenchyme is usually considered to arise from neural crest cells,^[5] which are a critical group of cells that form in the cranial region during early vertebrate development. Thus, ectomesenchyme plays a critical role in the formation of the hard and soft tissues of the head and neck such as bones, muscles and most importantly the branchial arches.

See also

• Intramembranous ossification
• Mesenchymal stem cell
• Mesoderm
• Mesohyl, the gelatinous matrix in sponges, was formerly also called mesenchyme.

References

Bibliography

• Maximow, Alexander A. and William Bloom (1930). Textbook of histology. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders

External links

• Overview at University of Edinburgh