What is the role of epithelial tissue?
1 Answer
The list is long.
Explanation:
Roles of epithelial tissues could be:
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Keratinised skin epithelium protects body from invasion of germs. Oral epithelial layer has antibodies to provide immunity.
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Inner lining of hollow organs, like gall bladder, made of epithelium.
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Ciliated epithelium of trachea helps in moving the mucus out, ciliated epithelium of fallopian tube helps in moving fertilised egg towards uterine cavity.
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Epithelium of urinary bladder can stretch when amount of stored urine increases.
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In gastrointestinal tract, linings of stomach and small intestine are secretory in nature, producing digestive juices.
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Renal tubules in kidney are able to absorb both solutes and water. Intestinal walls are also able to absorb nutrients. Such epithelia are brushbordered in appearance due to presence of microvilli.
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Nasal epithelium is associated with dendritic ends, thus it becomes a sensory in function.
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Blood capillaries are lined by fenestrated epithelium and WBCs can tavel to tissue fluid through such porous epithelium by a process called diapedesis. It is important to note that such fenestrations are absent in capillaries of brain.
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Thin epithelial lining of alveoli of lungs allow gaseous diffusion to take place between blood and air.
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Uterine epithelial lining undergoes thickening under the action of hormone and it allows implantation of an embryo
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There is germinal epithelium which undergoes meiosis to produce gametes ; in males present within seminiferous tubules of testes, in females present within ovarian follicles.
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Epithelial tissues form several exocrine glands like sweat gland, mammary gland, etc.
- Epithelial tissues secrete lubricating material mucus.
