Structural and functional organization of the suprapatella in two cercopithecines

Abstract

Gross and microscopic study of Cercopithecus aethiops pygerythrus and Papio cyanocephalus anubis shows that these cercopithecines have a quadriceps tendon the distal portion of which consists mostly of dense collagenous bundles with scattered fine elastic fibres most of which lie in the loose connective tissue planes within and around the tendon and around blood vessels. A distinct fibrovesicular structure, the suprapatella, lies within the tendon of the vastus intermedius above the pony patella. Histologically, this structure is characterised by interwoven bundles of collagenous fibres, among which are enmeshed large cells containing prominent nuclei surrounded by large clear spaces. It is postulated that this structure facilitates hyperflexion of the knee during the initial phases of springing and jumping.