title: Scanning electron microscopy of proteoglycans in metaphyseal cartilage.
abstract: Alcian blue (AB) was used for scanning electron microscope investigations on metaphyseal cartilage. In the pericellular area three-dimensional network connecting the cell membrane surface to the lacunar wall is evident. The network is formed by very long rod-like filaments about 50 nm thick. The segments may be interpreted as the proteoglycans (PGs) of the pericellular area. In the pericellular area in hypertrophic and degenerative zones, the rod-like segments are closely connected to "chain granules" which are the morphological expression of Ca-P non crystalline compounds. The rod-like segments are not at all evident either in glutaraldehyde-osmium fixed fragments or in predigested-(streptococcal hyaluronidase and chondroitinase) AB stained ones. It is concluded that AB is a good method to detect the three-dimensional spatial disposition of cartilage PGs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytomorphology, University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dell' Orbo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quacci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Riva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005269:Femur / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D011509:Proteoglycans