Diagrams of Cartilage Tissue

Note: This page is part of the section about the structure and function of different Tissue Types, which is related to the section about Histology and Cells (incl. structure of animal cells, cell division, mitosis, meiosis). This "Tissue Types" section is included to complete description of the knowledge of "Histology - The Cell" required by some courses in First-Level Anatomy and Physiology. To read about other tissue types see the list of on the left.

This page follows The Structure and Functions of Cartilage Tissue:

There are three different types (structures) of cartilage that have slightly different structures and functions.
They are hyaline cartilage, fibrocartilage, and elastic cartilage:

Hyaline Cartilage

Hyaline cartilage consists of a bluish-white, shiny ground elastic material within a matrix of chondroitin sulphate into which many fine collagen fibrils are embedded.

It contains numerous chondrocytes.

A perichondrium is present, as shown in the diagram on the right.

Fibrocartilage

Fibrocartilage is a tough form of cartilage that consists of chondrocytes scattered among clearly visible dense bundles of collagen fibres within the matrix.

It contains chondrocytes but lacks a perichondrium.

Fibrocartilage is the strongest of the three types of cartilage.

Elastic Cartilage

In elastic cartilage, which is yellowish in colour, the cartilage cells (chondrocytes) are located in a threadlike network of elastic fibres within the matrix of the cartilage.

A perichondrium is present, as shown in the diagram on the right.

See also the previous page about The Structure and Functions of Cartilage Tissue.

... End of Article ...
Click here to return to the Revision Pages index.