CARTILAGE

ALBERT CHRISTIAN C. BORBON, RMT, MD, DPSA

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 1. Study the structure – cells and components of cartilage

 2. Recognize the function of cartilage
 2. Identify the three types of cartilage and give examples of organs containing these types
 4. Understand the process of chondrogenesis
CARTILAGE

 tough, durable form of supporting connective tissue, characterized by an extracellular matrix

with high concentrations of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and proteoglycans, interacting with
collagen and elastic fibers.
 Tough, resilient - ideal for a variety of mechanical and protective roles within the adult skeleton
and elsewhere
 FUNCTIONS:
 forms the framework supporting softer tissues - respiratory tract, ears, and nose
 provides cushioning and sliding regions to facilitate movement – bones and joints
 guides development and growth of long bones, both before and after birth
CARTILAGE

 Chondrocytes – cells in cartilage, synthesize and maintain all ECM components

 Lacuna - matrix cavities where chondrocytes are lodged
 The physical properties of cartilage depend on electrostatic bonds between type II collagen
fibrils, hyaluronan, and the sulfated GAGs on densely packed proteoglycans
 semi-rigid consistency (good shock absorber) - water bound to the negatively charged
hyaluronan and GAG chains extending from proteoglycan core proteins and enclosed within a
dense meshwork of thin type II collagen fibrils
 AVASCULAR – no blood supply
 ANEURAL – lacks nerves
CARTILAGE

 PERICHONDRIUM
 sheath of dense connective tissue that surrounds cartilage in most places, forming an interface between the
cartilage and the tissues supported by the cartilage.
 harbors the blood supply serving the cartilage and a small neural component
TYPE OF
CARTILAGE

 HYALINE CARTILAGE
 ELASTIC CARTILAGE
 FIBROCARTILAGE
HYALINE CARTILAGE

 Most common, homogeneous and semitransparent in the fresh state

 Located in: articular surfaces of movable joints, nose, larynx, trachea, bronchi, in the ventral ends of
ribs, epiphyseal plates of long bones)
 In embryo, forms the temporary skeleton that is gradually replaced by bone
HYALINE CARTILAGE

 MATRIX
 Basophilic, nearly 40% collagen (Type II collagen) embedded in a firm, hydrated gel of
proteoglycans and structural glycoprotein
 Aggrecan with approximately 150 GAG side chains of chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate, is
the most abundant proteoglycan of hyaline cartilage
 Proteoglycans bind further to the surface of type II collagen fibrils
 Chondronectin - structural multiadhesive binds specifically to GAGs, collagen, and integrins for
adherence
 Territorial matrix – matrix surrounding the lacuna
 Interterritorial matrix – matrix in between the lacuna
 HYALINE CARTILAGE

 CHONDROCYTES – cells in cartilage and occupy in spaces called LACUNA

 synthesize sulfated GAGs and secrete proteoglycan
 Chondroblast - elliptic shape, with the long axes parallel to the surface located in the periphery of the
tissue
 Isogeneous aggrefates - round and may appear in groups of up to eight cells that originate from mitotic
divisions of a single chondroblast, located deeper
 The cells then will be pushed apart the more they secrete collagen and ECM components and will occupy
one lacuna
ELASTIC CARTILAGE

 Similar to HYALINE CARTILAGE but contains an abundant network of elastic fibers in addition to a
meshwork of collagen type II fibrils
 Yellowish in color, More flexible than hyaline cartilage
 When using special stain – abundant dark bundles distributed unevenly
 Has perichondrium
ELASTIC CARTILAGE

 FOUND: In the auricle of the ear, the walls of the external auditory canals, the auditory (Eustachian)
tubes, the epiglottis
FIBROCARTILAGE

 essentially a mix of hyaline cartilage and dense connective tissue

 Chondrocytes - occur singly and often in aligned isogenous aggregates, producing type II collagen and other
extracellular matrix component
 The matrix is typically sparse and lesser proteoglycans (acidophilic)
 Areas with chondrocytes and hyaline matrix are separated by other regions with fibroblasts and dense
bundles of type I collagen which confer extra tensile strength
FIBROCARTILAGE

 FOUND In: Intervertebral discs, in attachments of certain ligaments, and in the pubic symphysis
 Areas in where it serves as very tough, yet cushioning support tissue for bone.
 Intervertebral discs of the spinal column are composed primarily of fibrocartilage and act as lubricated
cushions and shock absorbers preventing damage to adjacent vertebrae from abrasive forces or impacts.
CARTILAGE FORMATION

 Chondrogenesis – from the embryonic mesenchyme

 Rounding up of the mesenchymal cells (retract their extensions, multiply rapidly, and become more
densely packed together)
 Chondroblasts – during period of rapid proliferation, young, immature basophilic cytoplasm rich in RER
for collagen production
 The production of ECM will result in cells enclosed in LACUNA
 During embryonic development, the cartilage differentiation takes place primarily from the center
outward; more central - chondrocytes, peripheral cells -chondroblasts.
 The superficial mesenchyme develops as the perichondrium
CARTILAGE FORMATION

 Chondroblasts are then separated from one another again by their production of the various matrix
components, which collectively swell with water and form the very extensive ECM
 Multiplication of chondroblasts within the matrix gives rise to isogenous cell aggregates surrounded by
a condensation of territorial matrix.
 Chondroblasts  Chondrocyte (when embedded in lacuna)
 In mature cartilage, this interstitial mitotic activity ceases and all chondrocytes typically become more
widely separated by their production of matrix.
CARTILAGE GROWTH

 Synthesis of new matrix that contributes to the growth of cartilage

 APPOSITIONAL GROWTH -chondroblast differentiation from progenitor cells in the perichondrium,
which the chondroblast secrete new matrix along the surface, growth in width
 INTERSTITIAL GROWTH – enlargement by mitotic division of preexisting chondrocytes, growth in
length
 In articular cartilage, cells and matrix near the articulating surface are gradually worn away and must be
replaced from within, because there is no perichondrium to add cells by appositional growth.
CARTILAGE GROWTH

APPOSITIONAL GROWTH INTERSTITIAL GROWTH

CARTILAGE REPAIR

 damaged cartilage undergoes slow and often incomplete repair – Except in CHILDREN
 primarily dependent on cells in the perichondrium which invade the injured area and produce new cartilage.
 In damaged areas the perichondrium produces a scar of dense connective tissue instead of forming new
cartilage.
 The poor capacity of cartilage for repair or regeneration is due in part to its avascularity and low metabolic
rate.
CARTILAGE DAMAGE
CARTILAGE

HYALINE ELASTIC CARTILAGE FIBROCARTILAGE

CARTILAGE
Extracellular matrix Homogenous, aggrecans Aggrecan Large areas of dense
connective tissue
Major Cells Chondrocytes, Chondrocytes, Chondrocytes, fibroblasts
chondroblasts chondroblasts
Fibers Type II collagen Type II collagen, darker Type II collagen with a
elastic fibers few Type I collagen
Arrangement of Isolated, small isogenous Usually isogenous groups Isolated or in isogenous
Chondrocytes groups groups arranged axially
Perichondrium Yes (except at epiphyses Yes NO
and articular cartilage)
THANK
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