Subcutaneous tissue

Subcutaneous tissue
The hypodermis is the lower layer of skin shown in the diagram above.
Details
SystemIntegumentary
Identifiers
Latintela subcutanea[1]
MeSHD040521
TA98A16.0.03.001
TA27083
THH3.12.00.2.00001
FMA9630
Anatomical terminology

The subcutaneous tissue (from Latin subcutaneous 'beneath the skin'), also called the hypodermis, hypoderm (from Greek 'beneath the skin'), subcutis, or superficial fascia,[2] is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system in vertebrates.[3] The types of cells found in the layer are fibroblasts, adipose cells, and macrophages. The subcutaneous tissue is derived from the mesoderm, but unlike the dermis, it is not derived from the mesoderm's dermatome region. It consists primarily of loose connective tissue and contains larger blood vessels and nerves than those found in the dermis. It is a major site of fat storage in the body.

In arthropods, a hypodermis can refer to an epidermal layer of cells that secretes the chitinous cuticle. The term also refers to a layer of cells lying immediately below the epidermis of plants.

  1. ^ TA A16.0.03.001
  2. ^ "hypodermis lumenlearning".
  3. ^ Mosby's Medical, Nursing & Allied Health Dictionary (4th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby. 1994. pp. 998, 774, 1497. ISBN 978-0801672255.