The stroma of the

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

is a unique type of connective tissue abundantly supplied with

blood vessels The blood vessels are the components of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide away f ...

, consisting for the most part of spindle-shaped stroma cells. These appear similar to

fibroblast A fibroblast is a type of cell (biology), biological cell that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen, produces the structural framework (Stroma (tissue), stroma) for animal Tissue (biology), tissues, and plays a critical role in wound ...

s. The stroma also contains ordinary

connective tissue Connective tissue is one of the four primary types of animal tissue, along with epithelial tissue, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue. It develops from the mesenchyme derived from the mesoderm the middle embryonic germ layer. Connective tiss ...

such as

reticular fibers Reticular fibers, reticular fibres or reticulin is a type of fiber in connective tissue composed of type III collagen secreted by reticular cells. Reticular fibers crosslink to form a fine meshwork (reticulin). This network acts as a supportin ...

and

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 ...

. Ovarian stroma differs from typical connective tissue in that it contains a high number of cells. The stoma cells are distributed in such a way that the tissue appears to be whorled. Stromal cells associated with maturing follicles may acquire

endocrine The endocrine system is a messenger system comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by internal glands of an organism directly into the circulatory system, regulating distant target organs. In vertebrates, the hypothalamus is the neu ...

function and secrete

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal acti ...

s. The entire ovarian stroma is highly vascular. On the surface of the organ this tissue is much condensed, and forms a layer ( tunica albuginea) composed of short connective-tissue fibers, with

fusiform cell The fusiform gyrus, also known as the ''lateral occipitotemporal gyrus'','' ''is part of the temporal lobe and occipital lobe in Brodmann area 37. The fusiform gyrus is located between the lingual gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus above, and the inf ...

s between them. The stroma of the ovary may contain

interstitial cells Interstitial cell refers to any cell that lies in the spaces between the functional cells of a tissue. Examples include: * Interstitial cell of Cajal (ICC) * Leydig cells, cells present in the male testes responsible for the production of androgen ...

resembling those of the

testis A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testostero ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stroma Of Ovary Mammal female reproductive system

See also

References

External links