The tidemark of the chondro-osseous junction of the normal human knee joint

The chondro-osseous junction includes the junction between calcified and non-calcified cartilage matrices often referred to as the tidemark. A detailed knowledge of the structure, function and pathophysiology of the chondro-osseous junction is essential for an understanding both of the normal elonga...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Molecular Histology 2005-03, Vol.36 (3), p.207-215
Main Authors: Lyons, T J, Stoddart, R W, McClure, S F, McClure, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
alpha-L-Fucosidase
Bone Development - physiology
Cartilage - pathology
Chondrocytes - pathology
Coloring Agents
Datura stramonium
Erythrina
Female
Helix pomatia
Histocytochemistry
Humans
Knee
Knee Joint - pathology
Lectins - metabolism
Maclura pomifera
Male
Middle Aged
Neuraminidase
Osteoarthritis - pathology
Paraffin Embedding
Polysaccharides - metabolism
Tissue Fixation
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Summary:The chondro-osseous junction includes the junction between calcified and non-calcified cartilage matrices often referred to as the tidemark. A detailed knowledge of the structure, function and pathophysiology of the chondro-osseous junction is essential for an understanding both of the normal elongation of bones and of the pathogenesis of osteoarthrosis. In this study the molecular anatomy of the tidemark was studied using histochemical techniques, including lectin histochemistry, on blocks of normal cartilage from human knee joints. The tidemark stained with H and E, picro-sirius red, toluidine blue, safranin O and methyl green, but not with alcian blue in the presence of magnesium chloride at 0.05 M or above. It stained with only four lectins, those from Datura stramonium, Maclura pomifera, Erythrina crystagalli and Helix pomatia, out of the 19 used. Therefore, it is rich in collagen and contains hyaluronan, but appears to lack the glycosaminoglycans of 'conventional' proteoglycans and it expresses a very limited and distinctive lectin staining glycoprofile, which is probably attributable to specific glycoproteins. In addition, the tidemark had a distinct microanatomical trilaminate appearance. From all of these results it is clear that this part of the chondro-osseous junctional region is chemically more complex and distinctive than has previously been described.
ISSN:1567-2379
1573-6865
1567-2387
DOI:10.1007/s10735-005-3283-x