Lecture 08 Summary, Sept 22/17 (Dr.

Roskelley)
Cartilage
3rd edition: Ch 7, pg, 131-136
4th edition: Ch 7, pg. 149-154
GLANDS were not covered in lecture. Please read up on it
3rd edition: Ch 5, pg. 103-109
4th edition: Ch 5, pg. 119-126

CARTILAGE:
- Bone and cartilage are specialized connective tissues
- Understand the key similarities between cartilage and bone (eg. specialized C. Tissue; mesenchymal
origin of progenitor cells; differentiated cells in lacunae, both rely on composition/structure of ECM,
both have a protector layer made of progenitor cells)
- Understand key differences between cartilage and bone (eg. cartilage- ECM organic and hydrated,
avascular, less regenerative; bone ECM- organic and mineralized, highly vascular, more regenerative)
between bone and cartilage.

Functions:
- Supports soft tissues
- Provides a low friction sliding area for joints
- Promotes growth of long bones as a reserve of new bone deposition at the growth plates of endochondral
bones
- Cartilage in joints don’t have a layer of progenitor cells therefore regeneration does not occur
Cartilage Cells
- Chondroblasts start to deposit cartilage ECM in the outer portion of the tissue
o Arise from chondrogenic chondroprogenitor cells located in the outermost perichondrium
connective tissue layer
- Perichondrium is dense collagenous CT that surrounds the cartilage. It is vascular and supplies nutrients
to the cartilage cells.
- Chondrocytes are terminally differentiated from chondroblasts and are embedded in lacunae (small
spaces) located deep within the tissue

Cartilage matrix:
- Generally, water>collagen>proteoglycans; resilient/plastic/deformable, but resists compression
- Matrix contains lots of PGs so it is acidic (basophilic)
- Intermediate thickness Type II Collagen fibers provides limited tensile strength
- Avascular; therefore high diffusion rates through hydrated matrix is critical for cell survival

3 types of cartilage (see Table 7.1 in textbook):

- Type of cartilage is based on the composition of the ECM
(1) Hyaline cartilage (HC) – “glassy cartilage”
- Found in joints, nose and trachea (most prevalent type of cartilage)
- Important for formation of long bones (endochondral bone formation in 09Lect)
- ECM composition:
• 20% type II collagen fibres
• 60-70% water
• 10% PGs (recruits water to the ECM)
- Well-defined perichondrium with limited regenerative potential
- Histological staining examples
 i. Masson’s Trichrome of a synovial joint: nuclei stain purple, collagen stains blue,
cytoplasm stains pink (Page 3 of slides)
ii. H&E staining of Hyaline cartilage: basophilic ECM (due to PGs), slightly
acidophilic collagen II and more acidophilic collagen I at the perichondrium
(Page 4 of slides)

(2) Fibrocartilage (FC)

- Found in intervertebral disks, pubic symphysis, and sites of tendon
insertion/attachment to bones, cushioning meniscus in some joints (eg. knee cartilage
that is often 'torn')
• Fibrocartilage forms outer ring of intervertebral discs = annulus fibrosis
o Forms rings around the nucleus pulposus which is a gelatinous substance
that allows for weight-bearing
- ECM composition:
• High amounts of think, strong type I collagen fibres (very high tensile strength
compared to other types of cartilage)
• Shares a number of characteristics of dense regular CT
• Some chondrocytes in lacunae and PGs give some resistance to compression
- No distinct perichondrium = very, very low regenerative potential

Clinical correlation:
- Osteoarthritis: degenerative loss of articular hyaline cartilage, no perichondrium therefore cannot be
regenerated as cartilage leads to bone coming into contact with bone = painful and loss of joint stability,
common with age and 'wear and tear'
o very different from rheumatoid arthritis which is caused by chronic inflammation within the joint
which leads to cartilage destruction secondarily
- Mesenchymal stem cells can migrate into wounded Hyaline cartilage from bone, which can result in the
formation of fibrocartilage. Fibrocartilage eventually degenerates because it is slightly vascularized and
highly oxygenated. This allows osteoblasts to migrate in and replace the fibrocartilage with bone
causing bone on bone friction

(3) Elastic cartilage (EC)

- Found in very flexible areas (eg. outer ear)
- The Epiglottis (roof of the larynx) contains a core elastic cartilage that is surrounded by
loose connective tissue on which sits a layer of epithelium that transitions from
respiratory epithelium (pseudostratified) to stratified columnar to stratified squamous
(will be discussed in more detail in respiratory lectures)
- ECM composition:
• Decreased matrix with increased cell number compared to hyaline cartilage
• Made of type II collagen + elastic fibres
- Well-defined perichondrium, with limited regenerative potential.