H 0 r k yD.: Submicroscopic Structure of the Human Joint Cartilage. Acta vet. Brno, 49, 1980: 145-176.Using a transmission and scanning electron microscope the joint cartilage was studied in 43 persons of the age from 5 to 75 years. As far as possible the present study gives a finished survey of the ultrastructure of chondrocytes of the superficial, middle and deep layers of the articular cartilage, arrangement of the intercellular substance; presented are basic data on the formation of the surface of the cartilage with regard to the age of the object. Special attention is given to cartilage intercellular substance which -from the point of view of electron microscopy -has been studied only little. The components of intercellular substance are arranged in such a way that we can distinguish the specialized areas near the chondrocytes as the pericellular matrix on the one hand, and the other intercellular substance, the intercellular matrix, on the other. The surface of the cartilage is covered with a specialized layer designated as lamina splendens. Results of the study proper are confronted with published data not only with regard to human joint cartilage but data on these structures have been studied also in lower mammals as much knowledge holds generally true for this type of tissue. The study summarizes the known facts about joint cartilage and provides a necessary basis for judging the degrees of changes occurring during some of their injuries.
Ultrastructure, hip joint cartilage, chondrocytes, intercellular matrix, SEM.A number of authors dealt with the description of submicroscopic structure of joint cartilage; principal studies dealing with human cartilage were published by Zelander (1959), Godman et al. (1960), Fawcett (1966a), Meachim (1967), Stockwell (1967a), Silberger (1968, Weiss et al. (1968). Brower and Hsu (1969), Roy (1969), Meachim (1969), Meachim and Roy (1969), Hirohata and Morimoto (1971), Stockwell andMeachim (1973), Serafini-Fracassini and Smith (1974), and others. The present study gives the most possible finished survey about the ultrastructure of both the chondrocytes of the joint cartilage and the intercellular substance; given are also basic data on the formation of its surface in dependence on the age of the object. Results of our study are confronted with published data not only with regard to human joint cartilage but also to data on lower mammals as much knowledge holds generally true for this type of tissue. This fact has been proved in studies published by Barnett et al.