Hyaline cartilage

Hyaline cartilage is a smooth, glassy-looking connective tissue whose type II collagen-rich matrix supports joints, airways, and the developing skeleton.

Chondrocyte: A mature cartilage cell that maintains the surrounding extracellular matrix. Chondrocytes produce and maintain the matrix that gives hyaline cartilage its properties.
Articular cartilage: The cartilage covering the ends of bones in synovial joints. This specialized hyaline cartilage provides a low-friction surface and distributes joint loads.
Avascularity: The absence of blood vessels within a tissue. Hyaline cartilage lacks blood vessels, so nutrients reach its cells mainly by diffusion.
Elastic cartilage: Cartilage containing abundant elastic fibers that allow flexible recoil. Unlike hyaline cartilage, it contains prominent elastic fibers and bends more readily.
Type II collagen: The principal fibrillar collagen in cartilage and several other connective tissues. Its fibrils form the main collagen framework in hyaline cartilage.
Costal cartilage: Hyaline cartilage connecting the ribs to the sternum, directly or indirectly. It gives the chest wall flexibility while maintaining connections between ribs and sternum.
Diffusion: The net movement of particles from regions of higher concentration to lower concentration. Diffusion carries nutrients through cartilage matrix to chondrocytes.
Fibrocartilage: A tough cartilage type rich in thick collagen bundles and suited to tensile and compressive stress. Its dense type I collagen bundles distinguish it from the smoother hyaline matrix.
Aggrecan: A large cartilage proteoglycan that binds water and helps resist compression. Aggrecan-rich matrix retains water, helping cartilage withstand compressive loads.
Tracheal cartilage: C-shaped cartilage rings that reinforce the tracheal wall. These hyaline cartilage rings help prevent the airway from collapsing.

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