Ground substance is primarily composed of water and large organic molecules, such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), proteoglycans, and glycoproteins.
GAGs are polysaccharides that trap water, giving the ground substance a gel-like texture.
[4] Link proteins such as vinculin, spectrin and actomyosin stabilize the proteoglycans and organize elastic fibers in the ECM.
[2] Loose connective tissue is characterized by few fibers and cells, and a relatively large amount of ground substance.
Dense connective tissue has a smaller amount of ground substance compared to the fibrous material.