Wharton jelly
Wharton's jelly , also Wharton's jelly , is the name for the intercellular substance of the gelatinous connective tissue of the umbilical cord , in which the umbilical arteries and the umbilical vein are embedded. The name is reminiscent of the English doctor Thomas Wharton , who first described this gel-like substance in 1656. The tissue originates from the extraembryonic mesoderm .
Collagen and reticular fibers or fiber bundles form a sponge-like composite in which only a few free cells but large amounts of hyaluronic acid occur. The ability of hyaluronic acid to store water ensures that the tissue is both firm and elastic. This protects the vessels from compression and kinking.
- Significance for the umbilical cord
For the umbilical cord Wharton's jelly is important for ease when her condition changes rapidly due to the lower ambient temperature after birth, which the imminent closure of the umbilical cord vessels supported.
literature
- Stauber, M. and Weyerstahl, T. Duale series Gynecology and Obstetrics 3rd edition 2007, Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ISBN 3-13-125343-6
Individual evidence
- ^ T. Warton: Adenographia: sive glandularum totius corporis descriptio . Wharton, London 1656, pp. 243-44.