Reticular fiber

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Reticular fibers are the main structural fiber in some connective tissues.

Structure

Reticular fiber consists of one or more types of very thin and delicately woven strands of collagen, these strands build a highly ordered cellular network and provide a supporting network. Many of these types of collagen have been combined with carbohydrate. Thus, they react with silver stains and with periodic acid-Schiff reagent but are not demonstrated with ordinary histological stains such as those using hematoxylin.

Locations

Networks of these fibers make up stroma of lymphatic and hemopoietic tissues such as the thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, and bone marrow.

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