Hyalocytes, also known as vitreous cells, are cells of the
vitreous body
The vitreous body (''vitreous'' meaning "glass-like"; , ) is the clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina of the eyeball (the vitreous chamber) in humans and other vertebrates. It is often referred to as the vitreous humor ...
, which is the clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina of the
eye. Hyalocytes occur in the peripheral part of the vitreous body, and may produce
hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid (; abbreviated HA; conjugate base hyaluronate), also called hyaluronan, is an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues. It is unique among glycosaminoglycans ...
,
collagen
Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix found in the body's various connective tissues. As the main component of connective tissue, it is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up from 25% to 35% of the whole ...
,
fibrils, and
hyaluronan
Hyaluronic acid (; abbreviated HA; conjugate base hyaluronate), also called hyaluronan, is an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues. It is unique among glycosaminoglycans ...
.
Hyalocytes are star-shaped (stellate) cells with oval
nuclei.
The development of the vitreous is organized into three stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary.
During the primary stage, which occurs from 3–6 weeks, the basic components of the vitreous begin to form from the
mesenchyme
Mesenchyme () is a type of loosely organized animal embryonic connective tissue of undifferentiated cells that give rise to most tissues, such as skin, blood or bone. The interactions between mesenchyme and epithelium help to form nearly every o ...
embryonic cell
In biology, a blastomere is a type of Cell (biology), cell produced by cleavage (embryo), cell division (cleavage) of the zygote after fertilization; blastomeres are an essential part of blastula formation, and blastocyst formation in mammals.
Hum ...
layer.
Hyalocytes likely develop from the vascular primary vitreous.
References
Eye
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