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. 2009 Nov;1(6):461-8.
doi: 10.1177/1941738109350438.

The basic science of articular cartilage: structure, composition, and function

Alice J Sophia Fox  1 , Asheesh Bedi, Scott A Rodeo
Affiliations

The basic science of articular cartilage: structure, composition, and function

Alice J Sophia Fox et al. Sports Health. 2009 Nov.
No abstract available

Keywords: articular cartilage; basic science; chondrocyte; collagen; extracellular matrix; proteoglycan.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest declared.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Gross photograph of healthy articular cartilage in an adult human knee.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Schematic, cross-sectional diagram of healthy articular cartilage: A, cellular organization in the zones of articular cartilage; B, collagen fiber architecture. (Copyright American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Reprinted from the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 1994;2:192-201 with permission.)
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Extracellular matrix of articular cartilage. Two major load-bearing macromolecules are present in articular cartilage: collagens (mainly, type II) and proteoglycans (notably, aggrecan). Smaller classes of molecules, such as noncollagenous proteins and smaller proteoglycans, are present in smaller amounts. The interaction between the highly negatively charged cartilage proteoglycans and type II collagen provides the compressive and tensile strength of the tissue. (Reprinted with permission from Chen et al, 2006.)
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
A stress-strain diagram for articular cartilage during tensile loading. The schematic representations on the right illustrate the orientation of the collagen fibrils in response to loading. Reprinted with permission from Nordin and Frankel, Basic Biomechanics of the Musculoskeletal System.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
A schematic depiction of the main components of articular cartilage when the tissue is unloaded (A) and when tensile load is applied (B). When the tissue is loaded, collagen fibrils align along the axis of tension. Reprinted with permission from Nordin and Frankel, Basic Biomechanics of the Musculoskeletal System.,
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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