Fibrocartilage-Intervertebral Disks

Fibrocartilage (connective tissue cartilage ) expresses the structures and attributes of two types of tissue, dense regular connective tissue and hyaline cartilage. The extracellular matrix consists mostly of collagen fibers ( type I and type II collagen), which are not masked and therefore visible after staining (collagen fiber cartilage). Bundles of collagen fibrils run in the direction,  which is determined by the mechanical stress vector. Between the unmasked collagen fibers 2 are single cartilage cells 1 or small groups of chondrocytes.  The ovoid to spherical chondrocytes occur singly or of ten one after the other in a row. However, the overall cell density is low with local differences. As in hyaline cartilage, fibrocartilage features basophilic cartilage capsules and cartilage coronas.

In humans, fibrocartilage is restricted to intervertebral disk s, pubic symphysis as well as parts of the joint disk s and the menisci.

1 Chondron 2 Collagen fiber bundle

a) Stain: hematoxylin-eosin; magnification: × 240 ;

b) Stain: hematoxylin-eosin; differential interference contrast (DIC) image; magnification: × 200

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 .