Connective Tissue II Flashcards
____ has a firm yet pliable matrix that resists mechanical stress.
cartilage
What are cartilage cells called?
chondrocytes
What cavity do chondrocytes occupy?
lacunae
Are chondrocytes free-moving or stagnate? Why
They are stagnate because of the stiffness of the matrix. They are trapped in the lacunae for life.
What are small clusters of chondrocytes called?
isogenous groups (cell nests)
How do chondrocytes’ appearance differ on a fixed slides versus how they appear in real life?
During the fixation process, chondrocytes shrink making the lacunae look empty. In the body, chondrocytes fill the void completely.
The cartilage matrix is ____— meaning it has no blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, or
nerves.
avascular
How are chondrocytes nourished?
They are nourished by the diffusion of substances through the matrix.
Cartilage has a ____ metabolic rate. How can this rate be altered.
low
It can be increased by excersise which compresses the cartilage allowing for nutrients and oxygen to be passed easier.
What are the C-shaped cartilages called?
menisci
Where are menisci found?
between the femur and tibia
What disease occurs when cartilage deteriorates (most common in the elderly)?
arthritis
What is the cartilage matrix stiffened by?
GAGs and proteoglycans
Most cartilage is also covered
with a sheath of fibrous tissue called the ____.
perichondrium
What is the significant about the perichondrium?
It is very vascular and allows for an immediate source of nutrients to such cartilages.
What is the most widespread type of cartilage in the body?
hyaline cartilage
What does “hyaline” mean? How does this relate to the appearance of hyaline cartilage?
clear, glassy
* It means that hyaline cartilage has a transluscent appearance. This is because the collagen fibers are barely visible.
Where are some locations where hyaline cartilage can be found?
- articular cartilage
- epiphyseal plates
- costal cartilages
- fetal skeleton
- respiratory system
These cover the ends of the long bones of the skeleton and ease the movement of bones at the joints, such as the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, knuckles, and many others.
articular cartilages
These are bands of cartilage at one or both ends of the long bones in children and adolescents, and function as growth zones at an age when the limbs grow longer and a person grows taller.
epiphyseal plates
These are the cartilage strips that attach the ribs to the sternum.
costal cartilages
Most of the skeleton starts out as hyaline cartilage, which becomes replaced by bone during fetal development and childhood.
fetal skeleton
Hyaline cartilages form supportive plates and rings of the nose, larynx, trachea, and bronchi, holding these passages open to ensure a smooth airflow in this system.
respiratory system
What group attached te larynx to the hyoid bone in the neck?
infrahyoid group
Which kind of hyaline cartilage matrix is darker and has less collagen and more chondroitin sulfate?
territorial matrix
Which kind of hyaline cartilage matrix is lighter and has more collagen and less chondroitin sulfate?
interterritorial matrix
Where can elastic cartilage be found?
- external ear (pinna)
- auditory canal
- audiotory (eustachian) tube
- some small cartilages of the larynx
____ has conspicuous collagen bundles that often run in parallel
with each other, squeezing the chondrocytes into single-file rows between the collagen
bundles.
fibrocartilage
What is different about fibrocartilage as compared to hyaline and elastic cartilage?
it does NOT have a perichondrium
Where can fibrocartilage be found in the body?
- interpubic discs
- invertebral discs
- other joints