Cuticle - Definition and Overview

In botany the cuticle is the waxy covering produced by the epidermal cells of leaves to protect the plant from excessive water loss. The cuticle is thicker in plants living in dry climates than in those from wet climates.

The cuticle is mostly composed of cutin and waxes. "The waxy sheet of cuticle also function in defense, forming a physical barrier that resists penetration by virus particles, baterial cells, and the spores or growing filaments of fungi". (Freeman, 2002). Cutin, as a structural component of the cuticle, is covered with cuticular and epicuticular waxes, a mixture of hydrophobic materials containing C26 to C36 aliphatic compounds.

The cuticle in human anatomy refers to the thickened layer of skin surrounding the fingernails and toenails. The function is to protect the area between fingernail and epidermis from exposure to harmful bacteria. Beneath the cuticle is a thin layer of pterygium.

Cuticle is also used as a term for the exoskeleton, outside of epidermis of many invertebrates.

Source

• Freeman, Scott. Biological Science: Prentice-Hall, Inc: New Jersey. pp710