Absence of cartilage canals in the long bone extremities of four species of skeletally immature marsupials.

The cartilaginous epiphyses and physes from the bone extremities of four species of skeletally immature marsupials were studied. The microscopic and ultrastructural features of the marsupial tissues were compared with similar samples from a neonatal lamb and a 1-day-old chick. Chondrocyte differentiation and endochondral ossification appeared similar in physes from the marsupials, foetal lamb, and 1-day-old chick. However, unlike the lamb and chick, which both contained cartilage canals, there were no cartilage canals in the epiphyseal or physeal cartilage from the marsupials. Many of the epiphyseal chondrocytes from the marsupial specimens contained large lipid droplets. It is suggested that the lipids in marsupial chondrocytes may be utilized in metabolic pathways. Despite hypertrophy of chondrocytes, there were no epiphyseal ossification centers in the femoral heads of the marsupial specimens; this was possibly due to the absence of cartilage canals, which are considered a source of osteoproginator cells. This study indicates that physeal and epiphyseal cartilage in marsupials is viable and functions in an avascular environment; this may be due to unique metabolic properties of the chondrocytes.