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DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-942284
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York
Histological Aspects of Articular Cartilage
Publikationsverlauf
Publikationsdatum:
02. November 2006 (online)
Abstract
Articular cartilage, because of the particular function in the vertebrate skeletal system, has a highly specialized organization. The biomechanical properties of cartilage rely largely on the nature of the extracellular matrix (ECM) components, their three-dimensional arrangement, and the relative quantity of ECM in the tissue. Cells and ECM are closely functionally related, and their physiology and morphology are altered simultaneously with age, pathological influences, or alterations of mechanical stress. The cellular response to the environment and the variations of the ECM are morphologically discernible. The present article is intended to summarize the morphological features of articular cartilage from the histological point of view.
Key words
hyaline cartilage - ECM - collagen - proteoglycans - joint - morphology - histology
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Mag. S. Nürnberger
Medical University of Vienna · Department of Traumatology
Waehringer Guertel 18-20
1090 Vienna
Austria
Telefon: +43/1/4 04 00 59 44
eMail: sylvia.nuernberger@meduniwien.ac.at