Dense irregular connective tissue (40 x objective lens)
At higher magnification the eosinophilic bundles of type I collagen can be
seen more clearly. Note variability in the size of the collagen bundles, a
feature typical of type I collagen. In dense irrregular connective tissue
these bundles form a highly interwoven meshwork, which is why the bundles
have such irregular shapes when sectioned in different planes. The unstained
spaces in between the collagen fiber bundles are partly caused by uneven shrinkage
of the tissue during dehydration, but they also mark the location of the carbohydrate-rich
ground substance in which the collagen fibers are embedded. The small number
of cell nuclei that are present belong mostly to fibroblasts and capillary
endothelial cells.
