ARTICULAR CARTILAGE: A REVIEW AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDY

Abstract

1. The fibrillar networks of adult human articular cartilage, taken from femoral and acetabular specimens, have been systematically examined by scanning electron microscopy. The internal structures revealed by rupturing the tissue were compared with published findings from transmission electron microscope studies. 2. Though this technique demonstrated the internal fibrillar appearance of cartilage to a remarkable degree, it had several attendant limitations. On final drying, specimens generally exhibited shrinkage which varied within wide limits; this could have altered the internal architecture to some extent. In addition, the rupturing technique, which at the time of this investigation was the only satisfactory method of revealing the fibrillar cartilage structure, may well have had a great influence on the fibril orientations. 3. The fibrils revealed no characteristic collagen periodicity and were considerably thicker than those observed by transmission electron microscopy. It is suggested that a coating of mucin on the collagen fibrils might account for this. 4. At low magnifications the torn layers in the fractured surfaces extended radially from the calcified zone and turned obliquely at or near the articular surface to merge with the distinctly layered superficial zone, thus forming arcade-like structures. That these were not artefacts produced by the fracturing technique was shown by their similarity to the classical arcade pattern of light microscopy. However, the factor which governed the direction of these planes of weakness, be it collagen, mucopolysaccharides or cells, could not be satisfactorily determined. 5. At higher magnifications only three regions of distinct fibrillar organisation could be identified: 1) a surface layer consisting of a random fibrillar network; 2) a superficial zone composed of layers of fibrillar network, intersecting and overlapping in planes parallel to the surface; and 3) elsewhere below the superficial zone a network of virtually random fibrils which extended to the calcified region with apparently little variation in thickness or density. There was little variation from this pattern even in aged fibrillated specimens. 6. At the lower magnification range the scanning electron microscope has revealed the arcade pattern described by light microscopy, while at the higher magnifications the fibrillar organisation as seen by scanning electron microscopy correlated well with the concepts developed by transmission electron microscopy, that is, a random network of fibrils overlaid at the articular surface by a membrane-like system of bundled fibrils. 7. A possible role in the transmission of joint forces is outlined for the above fibrillar organisation.