title: Examination with x-ray diffraction of cartilaginous tissues of rats of different ages with and without vitamin D treatment.
abstract: X-ray diffraction examinations were performed on different cartilages (epiphysis, joint, rib, nose-cartilage and discus intervertebralis) of 10 young and 10 old rats. Half of the animals served as untreated control, the other half was treated daily with 40,000 U of vitamin D3 through a gastric tube for 14 days. The examinations were performed partly with a Philips diffractometer and partly in a Guinier chamber, in order to determine the quantitative and qualitative crystallite size. The results obtained are as follows: 1. Cartilage crystallites, except those of the epiphysis, are more rough-grained in the old than in the young animals. 2. A difference was found between cartilages of the same age but of different types. In epiphysial cartilage thin crystals of medium length are formed while thick ones can be seen in discus intervertebralis, joint and rib cartilage. 3. According to the data obtained with the method of X-ray diffraction the crystals in epiphysial cartilage and discus intervertebralis will be lengthened upon the effect of vitamin D, while those in the rib and nose-cartilage shortened and bulkier. It can be imagined that cartilage and bone cells as well as basal substance have an influence on the morphological picture of calcium phosphate. Thus different forms of crystal are formed in cartilages of different functional activity.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003460:Crystallization; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D009928:Organ Specificity; D051381:Rats; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D