CARTILAGE STRUCTURE

Cartilage is connective tissue that is less rigid than bone and less flexible
than muscles
Cartilage provide support to our body parts.
The main structural components of our bodies are bone, muscle, and
cartilage.
Bones are rigid, while muscles bend, stretch, and are flexible.
Cartilage connective tissue is the perfect halfway point between these other
tissues. It is not as rigid or as hard as bone, and it is also less flexible than
muscle.
We find cartilage in places where we need some support and structure, but a
bit of flexibility as well.
This includes places such as our joints, our ears, and our nose, as well as in
between the vertebrae in our spinal column.

CARTILAGE
STRUCTURE
Chondroblasts and Chondrocytes
Connective tissue is comprised of
living cells within an extracellular
(or outside the cell) matrix. The
extracellular matrix in cartilage is
produced by specialized cells called
chondroblasts.
Chondroblasts that are caught in
the matrix are called chondrocytes.
These cells lie in spaces called
lacunae.
Chondrocytes, also called
chondrocytes in lacunae, determine
how 'bendy' our cartilage is.

ELASTIC
CARTILAGE
Elastic or yellow cartilage is a type that
contains elastic fiber networks and collagen
fibers.The principal protein is elastin.
Elastic cartilage is the most flexible, which
means it contains the most chondrocytes.
This is the type of cartilage found in our ear.
Elastic cartilage is histologically similar to
hyaline cartilage but contains many yellow
elastic fibers lying in a solid matrix. These
fibers form bundles that appear dark under a
microscope.
They give elastic cartilage great flexibility
so that it is able to withstand repeated
bending. The chondrocytes lie between the
fibres.
It is found in the epiglottis (part of the larynx)
and the pinnae (the external ear flaps of
many mammals including humans).

HYALINE
CARTILAGE

A type of cartilage found on many joint

surfaces, it contains no nerves or blood
vessels, and its structure is relatively simple.

Hyaline cartilage is the second most

flexible, and this cartilage is found in your
nose and at the end of our ribs.

The chondrocytes in this tissue are fewer

than in the elastic cartilage tissue slide.

In the embryo, bones form first as hyaline

cartilage before ossifying as development
progresses. Hyaline cartilage is covered
externally by a fibrous membrane except at
the particular ends of bones. This membrane
contains vessels that provide the cartilage
with nutrition.

Function: Provide support and resists

compressive stress

FIBROCARTILAG
E
Fibrous cartilage has a lot of collagen fibers
and is found in the intervertebral discs and
pubic symphysis.
Fibrocartilage is the cartilage with the fewest
number of chondrocytes, which means it bends
the least. This is the type of cartilage found in
our knee, as well as in between the
vertebrae in our spine.
Fibrous cartilage has lots of collagen fibers and
it tends to grade into dense tendon and
ligament tissue.
Tendon: Bone to muscle
Ligament: Bone to bone
Function: Tensile strength with the ability
to absorb shock
During labor, relaxin loosens the pubic
symphysis to aid in delivery, but this can lead
to later joint problems.

CARTILAGE
REPAIR

Cartilage has limited repair capabilities

because chondrocytes are bound in
lacunae, they cannot migrate to
damaged areas.

Therefore, cartilage damage is difficult to

heal.

Also, because hyaline cartilage does not

have a blood supply, the deposition of
new matrix is slow.

Damaged hyaline cartilage is usually

replaced by fibrocartilage scar tissue.

Over the last years, surgeons and

scientists have elaborated a series of
cartilage repair procedures that help to
postpone the need for joint replacement.