Table 2:

Connective tissue structure function relationships in healthy adult tissue.

Tissue	Purpose	Cells	Major ECM Components	Young’s Modulus (kPa)
Adipose	Store energy, cushion forces, heat insulation	Adipocytes	Collagen (IV), PG, laminin[130, 131]	Macro (C): 600[134] Micro (S): 1–3 [133]
Cartilage	Joint cushioning and gliding	Chondrocytes	Collagen (II)[224], PG (Agg, SLRP),[225]	Macro (T): 5k-25k[173–175]M Macro (C): 9k-13k[226] Micro (C): 500–1000[176]
Dermis	Skin flexibility and strength	Fibroblasts, macrophages, adipocytes	Collagen (I, III), elastin, PG, blood and lymphatic vessels, glands, hair follicles, nerves[72]	Macro (T): 2.5k-8k[182] Micro (T): 1–10[227]
Tendon	Transfer forces from muscle to bone	Tenocytes, tendon stem cells	Collagen (I)[188–191], elastin,[192] PG (SLRP),[228] surrounding blood vessels[194]	Macro (T): 200k-750k[206, 209] Micro (T): 20[124]

C: Compression; S: Shear; T: Tension