6-3 Cartilage

HYALINE CARTILAGE – 1

These three images show examples of hyaline cartilage at different magnifications. Pay attention to the main features of sections of hyaline cartilages stained with hematoxykin and eosin.

The extracellular matrix of hyaline cartilage is seen in a bluish, faint pink or a mixture of both colors in hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections. This is an important feature that helps to recognize and diagnose this type of cartilage and differentiate it from a bone section.
Upper figure: several portions of cartilage of a fetal rat knee.
The hyaline cartilage of the bone epiphyses is highlighted in blue after placing the cursor over the image. The lighter blue band is the hyaline cartilage of the epiphyseal disc, which is the growth plate of long bones. The meniscus of the joint is formed by fibrous cartilage (or fibrocartilage), highlighted in dark blue.
Middle figure: wall of the trachea showing part of a ring of hyaline cartilage, whose perichondrium lining is highlighted in green.
Lower image: hyaline cartilage of the wall of a bronchus.