Hyaline Cartilage-Joint Cartillage

Enzymatic digestion of the ground substances in the cartilage matrix can un-mask the collagen fibrils and render them visible. In this preparation, the shoulder acetabulum from a mouse, the tangential fiber layer, was exposed by digestion with hyaluronidase . The collagen f ibers run in one main direction and cross over each other in acute angles. Cell elements are not visible in this microtechnical preparation.  Familiar histological course preparations of ten reveal striate d areas, which are interpreted as asbestos fibers and a typical sign of aging. Demasked collagen fibrils explain this finding. In these cases, the ground substance was

missing as well.

Scanning electron microscopy; magnification: × 8000

References

Kuehnel, W.(2003). Color Atlas of Cytology, Histology, and Microscopic Anatomy. 4^th edition . Institute of Anatomy Universitätzu Luebeck Luebeck, Germany . Thieme Stuttgart · New York .