Department of Orthopaedics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Department of Anatomy, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Cartilage. 2021 Dec;13(2_suppl):367S-374S. doi: 10.1177/1947603520988770. Epub 2021 Feb 1.
There has been a debate as to the alignment of the collagen fibers. Using a hand lens, Sir William Hunter demonstrated that the collagen fibers ran perpendicular and later aspects were supported by Benninghoff. Despite these 2 historical studies, modern technology has conflicting data on the collagen alignment.
Ten mature New Zealand rabbits were used to obtain 40 condyle specimens. The specimens were passed through ascending grades of alcohol, subjected to critical point drying (CPD), and viewed in the scanning electron microscope. Specimens revealed splits from the dehydration process. When observing the fibers exposed within the opening of the splits, parallel fibers were observed to run in a radial direction, normal to the surface of the articular cartilage, radiating from the deep zone and arcading as they approach the surface layer. After these observations, the same samples were mechanically fractured and damaged by scalpel.
The splits in the articular surface created deep fissures, exposing parallel bundles of collagen fibers, radiating from the deep zone and arcading as they approach the surface layer. On higher magnification, individual fibers were observed to run parallel to one another, traversing radially toward the surface of the articular cartilage and arcading. Mechanical fracturing and scalpel damage induced on the same specimens with the splits showed randomly oriented fibers.
Collagen fiber orientation corroborates aspects of Hunter's findings and compliments Benninghoff. Investigators must be aware of the limits of their processing and imaging techniques in order to interpret collagen fiber orientation in cartilage.
关于胶原纤维的排列一直存在争议。William Hunter 爵士用手持放大镜证实胶原纤维垂直排列，后来 Benninghoff 也支持这一观点。尽管有这两项历史研究，但现代技术在胶原排列方面的数据存在冲突。
10 只成熟的新西兰兔用于获得 40 个髁突标本。标本经过逐级酒精处理，进行临界点干燥（CPD），并在扫描电子显微镜下观察。标本在脱水过程中出现分裂。当观察暴露在分裂开口内的纤维时，观察到平行纤维呈放射状排列，垂直于关节软骨表面，从深层向表面层辐射，在接近表面层时呈拱形。进行这些观察后，对相同的样本进行机械断裂和手术刀损坏。
关节表面的分裂产生了深裂缝，暴露了平行的胶原纤维束，从深层向表面层辐射，在接近表面层时呈拱形。在更高的放大倍数下，观察到单个纤维彼此平行排列，呈放射状向关节软骨表面延伸并呈拱形。对有分裂的相同标本进行机械断裂和手术刀损坏，显示出随机取向的纤维。
胶原纤维的排列与 Hunter 的发现和 Benninghoff 的观点一致。研究人员必须意识到他们的处理和成像技术的局限性，以便解释软骨中的胶原纤维排列。
