Three Types of Membrane

1. Cutaneous membranes = skin = Integumentary system. We have the epidermis which is the outer epithelium tissue and dermis is the connective tissue.

2. Mucous (mucosa) membranes line the insides of hollow organs that open to the outside. (Mouth, rectum, reproductive, urinary)

3. Serous membrane (serosa/serosae pl.)

Three closed cavities: Pleural (lungs), peritoneal (abdominal), and pericardial (heart) cavities.

It’s made of simple (single layer) squamous (squashed) epithelium that is on top of a loose areolar connective tissue.

Serous is made up of filtrate leaked from the capillary blood in the connective tissue plus lubricating molecules secreted by the mesothelial cells.

serous membrane parietal peritoneum visceral pleura — Parietal layer lines cavity; Visceral layer covers organs (visceral=inside)

Capacity for regeneration

Good to excellent: Epithelial tissue, bone CT, areolar CT, dense irregular CT, and blood forming CT

Moderate: Smooth muscle (intestine), dense regular CT (like the tendon)

Weak: Skeletal muscle tissue and cartilage.

None: Cardiac muscle tissue, nervous tissue. When cardiac muscle dies it becomes scar tissue. That’s why it’s so bad for you to have a heart attack. Same goes for nerve tissue, although it is possible to transplant brain matter and retrain a person. But wherever there are slices in the spinal cord we cannot repair them.