Review: cartilage has no blood vessels, and its cells are only about 2% of its volume
This 2009 review describes the structure and function of articular cartilage, the smooth tissue covering the ends of bones in a joint. It has no blood vessels, lymphatics or nerves, it heals poorly, and its cells, the chondrocytes, make up only about 2% of its total volume.
What they did
This is a review of published research, not a new experiment. The authors described the structure, make-up and function of articular cartilage. PubMed lists no abstract for this paper, so this summary draws on excerpts from the full text.
What they found
Articular cartilage gives the joint a smooth, lubricated surface and spreads loads with very low friction. It has no blood vessels, lymphatics or nerves, works in a harsh mechanical environment and has a limited ability to heal itself.
Chondrocytes are the only resident cell type. They are specialised and metabolically active, make up about 2% of the cartilage's total volume, and each one looks after the matrix in its immediate surroundings. Water makes up about 80% of the surface layer and about 65% of the deep layer, and the flow of water through the tissue helps carry nutrients to the cells.
What it can't tell us
This is a general review of cartilage structure. It says nothing about glutathione, antioxidants or ageing in the excerpts available, and it reports no new measurements. It describes healthy cartilage, not how it changes in osteoarthritis or with age.
Why it matters
It sets the scene for everything else in this library. Cartilage has no blood supply, so its few cells depend on nutrients that move through the tissue with water, and they must look after their own surroundings. That is the background to the idea that cartilage cells have to make their own antioxidant defences, glutathione among them, on site.
The paper
- Sophia Fox AJ, Bedi A, Rodeo SA. The basic science of articular cartilage: structure, composition, and function. Sports Health 2009.
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