Explains how to recognise hyaline cartilage of the trachea in an H&E section, covering the pale blue-violet glassy matrix and its lack of visible fibres. It describes chondrocytes in lacunae in isogenous groups, the darker territorial matrix around each group, and the perichondrium with flattened cells at its edge. It closes by contrasting the tissue with elastic cartilage and fibrocartilage.
Inside: 1 section · 1 min
Topic 109 of 127 in the MU Sofia syllabus for Cytology (Dental Medicine, Year 1). The free AceMed note covers it in 1 section, about 111 words (1 min of reading).
In this note
Introduction
Introduction
The C-shaped rings of the trachea are hyaline cartilage.
Stain
H&E: the matrix stains pale blue-violet (basophilic) and looks glassy; nuclei are blue-purple.
How to recognise it
A smooth, glassy matrix with no visible fibres. The fine type II collagen fibrils cannot be seen.
Chondrocytes in small cavities (lacunae), often in groups of 2–8 cells (isogenous groups).
A darker, more basophilic territorial matrix around each group.
Around the cartilage, a perichondrium of dense connective tissue. The chondrocytes are flattened near it and larger and rounder towards the centre.
Don't confuse it with: elastic cartilage (dark fibres in the matrix) or fibrocartilage (visible collagen bundles, no perichondrium).
Theory: topic 47 (hyaline cartilage).
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