Cartilage Flashcards
What is the function of joints?
permit movement
What is the function of tendons?
Join muscle to bone
What is the function of ligaments?
Join bone to bone for stability
What is cartilage made up of?
bands of collangenous tissue
What is the function of cartilage?
Provides smooth surface (good for joints) structural support Allows flexibility Resists compression Allows elasticity
What does cartilage get its semi-rigidity from?
proteoglycans (GAGs)
What are the 3 types of cartilage?
Hyaline
Fibrocartilage
Elastic cartilage
What does hyaline cartilage have?
few fibres
more ground substance
What does fibrocartilage have?
Abundant collagen fibres
What does elastic cartilage have?
contains elastin fibres
Where is hyaline cartilage found?
Nose
Ribs
Articular surface
Trachea
Where is fibrocartilage found?
Pubic symphysis
Intervertebral discs
How is cartilage formed?
- Differentiation of mesemchymal cells to chondroblasts
- Chondroblasts aggregate and produce ground substance
- Followed by mitotic division
- Mature in chondrocytes
- Acquire perichondrium
What is perichondrium?
Dense, irregular connective tissue surrounding mature cartilage
What contributes to regeneration of cartilage?
Appositional and interstitial growth
Name osteochondral defects
osteoarthritis
What is the function of bone?
Provides protective framework
What do chondrocytes do?
synthesise and maintain GAGs and collagen
Where is elastic cartilage found?
Auricle
Epiglottis
Pharygotympanic tube
How does cauliflower ear occur?
Damage to perichondrium which contains blood and lymph vessels which causes hematoma.
What happens in a cartilage transplant?
Meniscal cartilage replaced by donor tissue
Name a new approach to treat osteoarthritis and how it’s done
Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI)
- harvest chondrocytes from area of healthy cartilage
- Culture in lab for 6-8 weeks
- Cells implanted on membrane of in a scaffold
How do bones grow?
Epiphyseal growth: within growth plate, cartilage proliferates resulting in progressive elongation of bone.
Name the steps that occur in epiphyseal growth plate
- reserve hyaline cartilage
- proliferation
- maturation
- hypertrophy and calcification
- degeneration
- osteogenic
Discuss articular cartilage @ synovial joints
- Articulating bone surface covered in articular cartilage (hyaline cartilage)- smooth surface, low friction, shock absorber
- Fibrous joint capsule and ligaments- prevent excessive movement
- synoviocytes
What makes up the molecular structure of hyaline cartilage?
interaction of proteoglycans aggregating to type II collagen fibrils and chondrocytes.
