HUMAN HISTOLOGY LABORATORY|MIDTERMS
WEEK 1: Bone and Cartilage
Cartilage
 Tough and resilient
 Supports certain soft-tissues, provide
cushioned, low-friction surfaces in joints
Cartilage cells
 chondroblasts
 chondrocytes
Cartilage ECM
 includes collagen as well as
proteoglycans, notably aggrecan, which
bind large amount of water
 Cartilage always lacks blood vessels,
lymphatics and nerves, but is usually
surrounded by a dense connective
tissue perichondrium that is
vascularized.
 The perichondrium ( Figure 7–2 ) is a
sheath of dense connective tissue that
surrounds cartilage in most places,
forming an interface between the
cartilage and the tissues supported by
the cartilage. The perichondrium
harbors the cartilage’s vascular supply,
as well as nerves and lymphatic vessels.
There are three major forms of cartilage:
a. Hyaline cartilage
b. Elastic Cartilage
c. Fibrocartilage
Hyaline Cartilage (hyalos: glassy)
 The ECM has less collagen and more
proteoglycan immediately around the
lacunae, producing slight staining
differences in this territorial matrix.
 Chondrocytes occur singly or in small,
mitotically derived isogenous groups.
 Perichondrium is usually present, but
not at the hyaline cartilage of articular
surfaces or the epiphyses of growing
long bones.
 In adults, hyaline cartilage is in the
articular surfaces of movable joints, in
the walls of larger respiratory passages
(nose, larynx, trachea, bronchi), in the
ventral ends of the ribs
 Most common and homogeneous and
semitransparent
 Type II collagen
Elastic Cartilage
 Resembles hyaline cartilage in its
chondrocytes and major ECM
components, but its matrix includes
abundant elastic fibers, visible with
special stains, which increase the
tissue’s flexibility.
 Has a perichondrium
 Elastic cartilage provides flexible
support for the external ear as well as
certain structures of the middle ear and
epiglottis and larynx;
Fibrocartilage
 Contains varying combinations of
hyaline cartilage in small amount of
dense connective tissue.
2ND SEMESTER|BSMT
 HUMAN HISTOLOGY LABORATORY|MIDTERMS
WEEK 1: Bone and Cartilage
 Provides very tough, strong support at
tendon insertions and in intervertebral
discs and certain joints
 consists of small chondrocytes
a. Scant matrix
Bone
 Bone is a type of connective tissue with
a calcified extracellular matrix
 support the body
 protect many internal organs
 reservoir of calcium and phosphate
Bone cells
Osteoblasts
 Growing cells which synthesize and
secrete the organic components of the
matrix.
 Found in cavities (lacunae) between
bone matrix layers (lamellae).
 Secrete components of the initial matrix
called osteoid, that allow matrix
mineralization to occur
 Secrete noncollagen proteins
osteocalcin
b. Thick parallel bundles of type I
collagen fibers
 Located in areas where support and
tensile strength are required
Osteocytes
 Osteoblast gradually surrounded by
their own secretion; enclose singly
within spaces (lacunae)
 Differentiate further from osteoblasts
when enclosed within matrix lacunae.
 Maintain the matrix and detect
mechanical stresses on bone.
 Osteocytes maintain communication
with adjacent cells via gap junctions at
the ends of their processes
Osteoclasts
 giant, multinucleated cells involved in
removing calcified bone matrix and
remodeling bone tissue .
 formed by fusion of several blood
monocytes
2ND SEMESTER|BSMT
 HUMAN HISTOLOGY LABORATORY|MIDTERMS

WEEK 1: Bone and Cartilage

 Activity controlled by hormones and Organization of Bone

local factors
Woven bone
Bone matrix
 random distribution of type I collagen
Inorganic materials fibers and has lower mineral content
 first bone tissue to appear in embryonic
 Hydroxyapatite, bicarbonate, citrate,
development and fracture repair
magnesium, potassium and sodium ions
 temporary and replaced by lamellar
Organic materials bone in adults, except in very few places
in the body
 Type I Collagen
 Ground Substance Lamellar bone
 Proteoglycans
 Both compact and cancellous bone are
 Glycoproteins – osteonectin,
lamellar bone
osteocalcin
 Lamellae organized concentrically
Periosteum around small central canals containing
blood vessels and nerves (osteon or
 Layer of dense connective tissue on the
haversian system)
outer surface of bone
 Within each osteon, osteocytic lacunae
 perforating or Sharpey’s fibers.
occur between the lamella, with
Endosteum canaliculi radiating through the
lamellae, which allow all cells to
 thin layer of active and inactive
communicate with the central canal
osteoblasts, which lines all the internal
surfaces within bone. Type of bone
Compact (Cortical Bone)
 dense area near the surface
 80% of the total bone mass
Cancellous (trabecular bone)
 Deeper areas with numerous
interconnecting cavities
 20% of total bone mass
Bone formation
Ossification – Process of bone formation
(occurs in utero)
Two types of ossification

2ND SEMESTER|BSMT
 HUMAN HISTOLOGY LABORATORY|MIDTERMS

WEEK 1: Bone and Cartilage

1. Intramembranous ossification
2. Endochondral ossification
Intramembranous ossification
 With osteoblasts differentiating directly
from progenitor cells in condensed
“membranes” of mesenchyme. ▪
 Example: skull and jaw
Endochondral ossification
 ossification takes place within hyaline
cartilage
 type of ossification that forms most
bones of the body
METABOLIC ROLE OF BONE
Parathyroid hormone (PTH)
 raises low blood calcium levels by
stimulating osteoclasts and osteocytes
to resorb bone matrix and release
calcium.
Calcitonin
 can reduce elevated blood calcium
levels by opposing the effects of PTH in
bone. This hormone directly targets
osteoclasts to slow matrix resorption
and bone turnover

2ND SEMESTER|BSMT