The active tissue that generates cells which harden as they move outward to form the nail plate is called the

• A. Nail matrix
• B. Nail bed
• C. Lunula
• D. Mantle

Answer: (A)

The nail grows from cells produced by the nail matrix, the tissue at the base of the nail. These cells divide in the matrix and then keratinize as they move outward, gradually hardening to become the nail plate that slides over the nail bed. The nail bed beneath simply supports the plate and doesn’t generate it, while the lunula is the visible part of the matrix seen at the base of the nail and the mantle is a covering around the root that protects but doesn’t create the plate.