Berakdown of articular cartilage by vascular tissue

Abstract

A study has been made with porcine tissues in organ culture of th effect of vascular tissue on articular cartilage. Isolated explants of cartilage were maintained alive for 14 days without breakdown of the matrix. Contact with vascular tissue produced extensive loss of proteoglycan and collagen wth fibroblastic transformaton of te chondrocytes. The breakdown was partly dur to a direct effect on te matrix and partly to activation of catabolic processes in the chondrocytes. Vascular tissue produced exactly the same loss of matrix as synovial tissue.