Eponychium
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| Eponychium | |
|---|---|
| Fingernail | |
| Longitudinal section through nail and its nail groove (sulcus). (Eponychium labeled at upper left.) | |
| Gray's | subject #234 1067 |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | e_13/12339446 |
The eponychium or cuticle in human anatomy refers to the thickened layer of skin surrounding fingernails and toenails.
The function is to protect the area between the nail and epidermis from exposure to harmful bacteria.
Beneath the cuticle is a thin layer of pterygium.
The vascularization pattern is similar to that of perionychium.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Sangiorgi S, Manelli A, Congiu T, et al (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. PMID 15032919.
