Eponychium

Last updated
Eponychium
Nail svg hariadhi.svg
Nail anatomy, with eponychium labeled as "nail fold".
Gray943.png
Longitudinal section through nail and its nail groove (sulcus).
Details
Identifiers
Latin eponychium
TA98 A16.0.01.010
TA2 7072
FMA 77859
Anatomical terminology

In human anatomy, the eponychium is the thickened layer of skin at the base of the fingernails and toenails. [1] It can also be called the medial or proximal nail fold. Its function is to protect the area between the nail and epidermis from exposure to bacteria. The vascularization pattern is similar to that of perionychium. [2] The eponychium differs from the cuticle – the eponychium is made up of live skin cells whilst the cuticle is dead skin cells.

In hoofed animals, the eponychium is the deciduous hoof capsule in fetuses and newborn foals, and is a part of the permanent hoof in older animals. [3]

The word eponychium comes from Greek ἐπί (epí) 'on top of'andὀνῠ́χιον (onúkhion) 'little claw'.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Treuting, Piper M.; Suzanne M. Dintzis; Kathleen S. Montine, eds. (2017). Comparative Anatomy and Histology: A Mouse, Rat, and Human Atlas (2nd ed.). London: Academic Press. ISBN   978-0-12-802900-8 . Retrieved 2022-08-01– via ScienceDirect.
  2. ↑ Sangiorgi S, Manelli A, Congiu T, et al. (February 2004). "Microvascularization of the human digit as studied by corrosion casting". J. Anat. 204 (2): 123–31. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7580.2004.00251.x. PMC   1571248 . PMID   15032919.
  3. ↑ Bragulla, H. (March 1991). "The deciduous hoof capsule (Capsula ungulae decidua) of the equine fetus and newborn foal". Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia. 20 (1): 66–74. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0264.1991.tb00293.x. PMID   1877762. S2CID   221396589.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.