Joint cartilage microstructure, illustration 插畫檔

Illustration showing the microstructural organisation and layered characteristics of articular cartilage. The image presents a superficial-to-deep progression from left to right, with the right panel displaying a magnified cross-section. From the exterior inward, the overlying perichondrium is clearly delineated into an outer fibrovascular layer and an inner cellular chondrogenic layer. Beneath this lies a homogeneous, translucent cartilage matrix containing chondrocytes responsible for matrix metabolism, which are embedded in a superficial-to-deep gradient. These cells are typically arranged in isogenous groups and enclosed within the chondron, a basophilic region rich in chondroitin sulphate. This configuration exemplifies the characteristic histological morphology of hyaline cartilage