Chappard D, Alexandre C, Riffat G
Tissue Cell. 1986;18(5):701-7. doi: 10.1016/0040-8166(86)90071-6.
In the human fetus, epiphyses appear as a solid avascular cartilaginous mass until the eleventh week of development. Around the third fetal month of development, vascular canals coming from the perichondrium are recognized in the mineralized epiphyseal cartilage. Whether cartilage canals develop by passive inclusion or active chondrolysis is still a matter of controversy. We studied the relationships between the intracanalar cells and the surrounding matrix on human fetal epiphyses embedded in glycol methacrylate. At the blind end of canals both stellate fibroblast-like cells and vacuolated macrophages are observed. These cellular foci show all characteristics of active chondrolysis (loss of metachromasia, lacunae containing cells intimately associated with matrix, and presence of granular debris). Similar resorptive foci have been observed in the pannus of rheumatoid joints and in the embryonic chick growth plate composed of uncalcified cartilage. A cellular cooperation (fibroblast/macrophage) is necessary for uncalcified cartilage breakdown. In the human fetus, monocytes/macrophages have been recognized in the peripheral blood as early as the twelfth week of gestation. Our observations support the view that chondrolysis due to both fibroblasts (of mesenchymal origin) and macrophages is the basic mechanism for cartilage canal development.
在人类胎儿中，骨骺在发育至第11周之前表现为坚实的无血管软骨团块。在胎儿发育的第三个月左右，在矿化的骨骺软骨中可识别出来自软骨膜的血管通道。软骨通道是通过被动包埋还是主动软骨溶解形成仍存在争议。我们研究了包埋在乙二醇甲基丙烯酸酯中的人类胎儿骨骺内通道细胞与周围基质之间的关系。在通道的盲端可观察到星状成纤维细胞样细胞和空泡化巨噬细胞。这些细胞灶显示出主动软骨溶解的所有特征（异染性丧失、含有与基质紧密相关细胞的腔隙以及颗粒状碎片的存在）。在类风湿性关节炎的血管翳和由未钙化软骨组成的胚胎鸡生长板中也观察到了类似的吸收灶。未钙化软骨的分解需要细胞间的协作（成纤维细胞/巨噬细胞）。在人类胎儿中，早在妊娠第12周时外周血中就已识别出单核细胞/巨噬细胞。我们的观察结果支持这样一种观点，即间充质来源的成纤维细胞和巨噬细胞引起的软骨溶解是软骨通道发育的基本机制。
