[On the metabolic heterogenity of the cartilage tissue (author's transl)].

Autoradiografic studies with 3H-thymidine, 3H-proline and 35S-sulfate in different cartilage tissues from rabbits and rats (articular and epiphyseal cartilage of the knee; costal, xiphoid and tracheal cartilage) were performed. The following results were obtained: The proliferative zone of the epiphyseal plate of young and adult animals is limited to the superior part of the columnar cartilage. The articular cartilage shows no proliferative zones but single S-phase-nuclei in all layers seldom were found. In the adult animals a decrease of DNA-synthetising chondrocytes in all investigated cartilage tissues and a narrowing of the proliferative zone could be detected. 3H-proline and 35S-sulfate in proliferating chondrocytes of the bone cartilage border line and in chondrocytes of the subperichondrial area increasingly were incorporated. Possible causes of the regional differences in the uptake of the used precursors were discussed and the significance of the metabolic heterogenity of the cartilage tissue for aging and pathological processes was pointed to.