Integument

Skin
Skin or integument derived from Latin word means to cover
Largest organ system of body
It consist of
Epidermis
Dermis
Thickness of epidermis and dermis varies in different regions of body with in same specie and among
different species
Skin is thicker on lateral and dorsal surface of body and thinner on ventral and medial side of limbs
Epidermis
Formed of Stratified squamous epithelium
Derived from ectoderm
Epidermis is thicker on non hairy regions and thinnest on hairy regions
Epidermal cells undergoes orderly process of proliferation, differentiation and keratinization
During development epidermis specialized to form hair, sweat and sebaceous glands, digital organs
(hoof, claws, digital pads), feathers, horn and specialized glands
Cells of epidermis are classified into
Keratinocytes
Non-keratinocytes
Epidermal Keratinocytes
85% of epidermal cells
Classified into layers on basis of morphology
The layer are from basement membrane to outer side are
Stratum basale (basal layer)
Stratum spinosum (spinous or prickle layer)
Stratum granulosum (granular layer)
Stratum Lucidum (clear layer)
Stratum corneum (horny layer)
Epidermal Non-keratinocytes
Scattered through out epidermis
It includes
 Melanocytes
 Tactile epitheloid cells (Merkel cells)
 Intraepidermal macrophages (Langerhans cells)
Melanocytes
 Located in basal layer of epidermis, External epithelial root sheath, hair matrix of hair follicle
 Have several dendritic processes
 Have spherical nucleus and typical organelles
 Cytoplasm contains specific granules called melanosome
 Melanosome contains melanin that gives colour to skin and hairs
 Tyrosinase enzyme involved in formation of melanin
 Albino animals lacks tyrosinase although they have melanocytes
Tactile epithelioid cells (Merkel cells)
 Located in basal region of epidermis
 Long axis is parallel to surface of skin
 Nucleus is lobulated
 Cytoplasm contains granules having specie specific chemical mediators (serotonin, vaso-active
intestinal peptides)
 When associated with axon form tactile epithelioid cells-neurite complex
 The areas having tactile epithelioid cells-neurite complex called tactile hair discs.

Intra-epidermal macrophages (Langerhans cells)

 These are dendritic cells present in epidermis
 Mostly found in upper spinous layer of epidermis
 Also found in stratified squamous epithelium of digestive tract, female genital tract and sheep
rumen
 The cells present in epidermal lymph vessels are called veiled cells and in lymph nodes called
Interdigitating cells
 Intra epidermal macrophages have indented nucleus
 They are capable to present antigens to lymphocytes
 Layers of Epidermis

1. Stratum Basale (Basal layer)

 Also called stratum germinativum
 Consist of single layer of columnar or cuboidal layer
 Nucleus is large and ovoid and occupied most of cell
 The basal cells are heterogenous functionally
 Some basal cell work as stem cells
 Some anchor the epidermis
2. Stratum Spinosum (spinous or prickle layer)
 Consist of several layers of irregularly polyhedral cells
 Tonofilaments are dominant in this layer
 Uppermost cells of the layer contains membrane bounded organelles called lamellar granules
3. Stratum granulosum
 Consist of several layers of flattened cells
 The cells contains non-membranous granules, electron dense keratohyalin granules
 The granules contains profilaggrin (a precursor of Filaggrin)
 Filaggrin play role in keratinization and barrier function
 Membrane bounded granules “membrane coating granules” also present
 Major component of membrane coating granules are lipids
[Link] lucidum (clear layer)
 Found in specific area of thick skin and hairless regions (Planter and palmer surface, planum nasale)
 It is translucent line between stratum corneum and stratum granulosum
 Consist of fully keratinized , dense cells devoid of nuclei and cytoplasmic organelles
 The cell cytoplasm contain eleidin that has no staining affinity
5. Stratum Corneum
 Outermost layer of epidermis
 Consist of several layers of keratinized dead cells
 The have no nucleus and cytoplasmic organelle
 The uppermost superficial layer of stratum corneum is called stratum disjunctum
 The stratum varies in thickness in different area of body and among species
Keratinization
The process by which epidermal cell differentiate is called keratinization
 Dermis

Dermis consist of dense irregular CT

 It contains fibroblast, mast cells, macrophage, plasma cells, fat cells and leukocytes
 It has blood vessels, lymph vessels and nerves
 It also has sebaceous glands, sweat glands, arrector pili muscle and hair follicles
 Dermis is divided into
 Superficial papillary layer
 Deep reticular layer
No clear demarcation between these two layer exist
 Papillary layer is thinnest layer, consist of loose connective tissue and contact with stratum basale
 Reticular layer is thicker and consist of dense connective tissue
 The papillary layer protrude into epidermis forming dermal papilla
 Epidermis invaginates into dermis called epidermal pigs
 Smooth muscle may be present in dermis region in scrotum, teat and penis
 Skeletal muscle fibers of cutaneous trunci may penetrate the dermis that allow the voluntary
movement of skin
Hypodermis (Subcutis)
 Anchors the dermis to underlying muscle or bone
 Adipose tissue present in form of clusters that create cushion or pad of fat called Panniculus
adiposus
 Large fat deposits in hypodermis is characteristic of carpal, metacarpal and digital pads that act as
shock absorber
 Skin appendages

Skin appendages include

 Hair
 Hair follicles
 Skin glands
 Sebaceous gland
 Sweat glands
Hair
In domestic mammals hairs covers entire body except food pads, hoofs, glans penis, mucocutaneous junction
and teats of some species
It is flexible and keratinized structure produced by hair follicle
The hair consist of three portions
 Hair shaft (The distal free part of hair above the surface of skin)
 Hair root (The part of hair within follicle)
 Hair bulb (The terminal hollow knob of hair)
Hair shaft
Composed of three layers
 Cuticle (outer most layer, single layer of flat keratinized cells directed towards distal end of shaft)
 Cortex (densely compacted keratinized cell directed parallel to the hair shaft)
 Medulla (form center of hair and loosely filled with cuboidal or flattened cell. In root medulla is
solid while, in shaft contains air filled cavity)
Hair follicles
 Follicle is embedded in dermis usually in angle
 Hair bulb may be extended in hypodermis
 Hair follicle consist of four major components
 Internal epithelial root sheath
 External epithelial root sheath
 Dermal papilla
 Hair matrix
Internal epithelial root sheath
It is the inner most layer next to hair root
Composed of three layers
 Internal root sheath cuticle
 Middle granular epithelial layer (Huxley’s layer)
 Outer pale epithelial layer (Henley’s layer)
External epithelial root sheath
 Composed of several layers of cells similar to epidermis
 External to this layer is homogeneous glassy membrane
 The entire epithelial root sheath is enclosed by dermal root sheath
 The dermal root sheath is composed of collagen and elastic fibers
 Dermal root sheath is richly supplied with blood vessels and nerves
Dermal papilla
 A region of connective tissue directly beneath hair matrix
 Cells covering the dermal papilla and composing most of hair bulb are hair matrix cells
Arrector pili muslce
Bundle of smooth muscles associated with hair follicle
The muscle is attached with dermal root sheath of hair follicle and connects to papillary layer of dermis
The muscle is innervated by autonomic nerve fiber
Types of hair follicle
Hair follicles are classified into
 Primary hair follicle
 Secondary hair follicle
Primary hair follicle
 Has large diameter
 Rooted deep in dermis
 Usually associated with sweat, sebaceous gland and arrector pili muscle
 The hair emerging from primary hair follicle is called primary hair (guard hair)
Secondary hair follicle
 Smaller diameter than primary hair follicle
 Root is nearer to the surface
 May have sebaceous gland but lacks of sweat gland and arrector pili muscle
 Hair emerging from such follicle is called secondary hair
 Secondary hair lacks medulla
Single follicle or simple follicle (follicle with only one hair emerging to the surface)
Compound follicle (follicle with cluster of several hair follicles located in dermis).
At the level of sebaceous gland various hair follicle fuse and several hairs emerges through one external
orifice
Skin glands
 Sebaceous gland
 Sweat gland
Sebaceous gland
 May be simple, branched or compound alveolar gland
 Release their secretory product called sebum
 Sebum is oily secretion containing mixture of lipids and disintegrated cells
 The oily secretion acts as antibacterial and waterproofing agent
 Sebaceous gland is mostly associated with hair follicles
 The secretory unit consist of solid mass of epidermal cells surrounded by connective tissue
sheath
 The glandular cells are usually polygonal that contains lipid droplets
 Sebum passes into lumen of hair follicle through short duct lined with stratified squamous
epithelium
Sweat gland
Based on mode of release of secretion sweat gland classified into
 Apocrine sweat gland
 Merocrine sweat gland
Apocrine sweat gland
Simple tubular gland with coiled secretory portion and straight duct
Secretory portion has large lumen with flattened cuboidal to low columnar epithelial cells
Myoepithelail cells located between basal lamina and secretory cells
The duct of sweat gland has narrow lumen and double layer cuboidal cells
  Apocirne gland is less active in goats and cats
 It produces viscous secretion that contains scent
 The scent acts as source of communications, sex attractant or as terrestrial marker between species
Merocrine sweat glands
 Found mainly in special skin areas like foot pads of dogs and cats, frog of horse hoof
 They are simple tubular glands directly opens into skin surface rather than hair follicles
 The secretory portion consist of cuboidal epithelium with two distinct cell types (dark and clear
cells)

Sweat gland