Articular (hyaline) cartilage covering the ends of bones in synovial joints lacks which two critical features, making it dependent on synovial fluid for nutrition and unable to fully repair after injury?

• A Perichondrium and chondroblasts
• B Type II collagen and chondroitin sulfate
• C Blood vessels (avascular) and nerves (aneural), relying on diffusion from synovial fluid ✓
• D Territorial matrix and interterritorial matrix organization

Explanation

Articular hyaline cartilage is both avascular and aneural, unlike most other cartilage which has a perichondrium (articular cartilage also lacks a perichondrium). Its nutrition comes entirely from diffusion from synovial fluid during joint movement and from underlying subchondral bone vessels (for deepest zones). The lack of vascularity means that once damaged (e.g., in OA), chondrocytes cannot mount an adequate repair response — fibrocartilage replaces hyaline cartilage. Articular cartilage is also very low in cellularity relative to its matrix volume.

Reference: BD Chaurasia's Human Anatomy, 8th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.