Cartilage Growth and Development

Questions and Answers

Both interstitial and appositional cartilage growth occur simultaneously.

It declines rapidly.

It typically stops, unless there is an injury to the cartilage.

Each chondrocyte occupies its own lacuna. Signup and view all the answers

They produce and secrete new cartilage matrix. Signup and view all the answers

Due to the lack of blood vessels in the tissue. Signup and view all the answers

Because certain types of bone formation and bone growth are dependent upon the growth of hyaline cartilage. Signup and view all the answers

Embryologic development Signup and view all the answers

Interstitial growth and appositional growth Signup and view all the answers

Chondrocytes housed within lacunae are stimulated to undergo mitotic cell division. Signup and view all the answers

They are pushed apart. Signup and view all the answers

An increase in width along the cartilage's outside edge, or periphery. Signup and view all the answers

Undifferentiated stem cells Signup and view all the answers

Chondroblasts Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Cartilage development and growth begin during embryologic development.
Cartilage can grow both in length through interstitial growth and in width by appositional growth.

Interstitial growth is an increase in length that occurs within the internal regions of cartilage.
It involves a series of four steps:
- Chondrocytes in lacunae undergo mitotic cell division.
- The resulting chondroblasts synthesize and secrete new cartilage matrix, causing them to be pushed apart.
- Each cell then occupies its own lacuna and becomes a chondrocyte.
- Cartilage continues to grow internally as chondrocytes produce more matrix.

Appositional growth is an increase in width along the cartilage's outside edge, or periphery.
It involves a series of three steps:
- Undifferentiated stem cells at the internal edge of the perichondrium divide.
- New stem cells and committed cells differentiate into chondroblasts at the periphery of the old cartilage.
- Chondroblasts produce and secrete new cartilage matrix, pushing them apart to become chondrocytes in their own lacunae.

During early embryonic development, both interstitial and appositional cartilage growth occur simultaneously.
Interstitial growth declines rapidly as the cartilage matures and becomes semirigid.
Further growth can occur only at the periphery of the tissue, making later growth primarily appositional.
Once the cartilage is fully mature, new cartilage growth typically stops.
Cartilage growth usually only occurs after injury to the cartilage, but is limited due to the lack of blood vessels in the tissue.