Raspanti M, Strocchi R, De Pasquale V, Martini D, Montanari C, Ruggeri A
Unità Complessa di Scienze Anatomiche e Fisiopatologia dell'Apparato Locomotore, Università di Bologna, Italy.
Ital J Anat Embryol. 1996 Apr-Jun;101(2):97-105.
The tibial insertion of the patellar ligament of rat was investigated at light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Until the point of insertion, the patellar ligament showed the typical structure of a tendon. In proximity to the insertion, the ligament increased in diameter and was gradually infiltrated by a different, cartilage-like matrix. Its tenocytes became progressively rounded and displayed some characteristics of chondrocytes. Tendon fibres crossed this fibrocartilage and arrived well beyond the mineralization front. Finally, they appeared to interweave with the tibial diaphysis bone. These fibres were always distinct from the interposed extracellular matrix and exhibited a different pattern of mineralization from the matrix. Our observations indicate that fibrocartilage does not supersede tendon but merely infiltrates it. Thus, the tendon does not splay during articular movement and the tensile stress is redistributed across the insertion area by increasing the mechanical coupling among adjacent fibres. At the same time, this mechanism provides a structural, uninterrupted connection from tendon to bone which is consistent with the biomechanical requirements it has to withstand.
运用光学显微镜、扫描电子显微镜和透射电子显微镜对大鼠髌韧带的胫骨附着点进行了研究。在附着点之前，髌韧带呈现出典型的肌腱结构。在靠近附着点处，韧带直径增大，并逐渐被一种不同的、类似软骨的基质浸润。其腱细胞逐渐变圆，并表现出一些软骨细胞的特征。肌腱纤维穿过这种纤维软骨，延伸至矿化前沿之外。最后，它们似乎与胫骨干骨相互交织。这些纤维始终与插入的细胞外基质不同，并且呈现出与基质不同的矿化模式。我们的观察结果表明，纤维软骨并没有取代肌腱，而只是浸润了它。因此，在关节运动过程中肌腱不会散开，并且通过增加相邻纤维之间的机械耦合，拉伸应力在附着区域重新分布。同时，这种机制提供了从肌腱到骨骼的结构上不间断的连接，这与它必须承受的生物力学要求是一致的。
