Figure 1
From: Concentric lamellae – novel microanatomical structures in the articular calcified cartilage of mice
Histological examination of BALB/c AKU mice. (a) H&E staining of a 31 week old BALB/c AKU mouse showed the appearance of a concentric ring like structure around a chondrocyte in the articular calcified cartilage (ACC) of the medial femoral condyle (arrowed). Remodelling of the subchondral bone (SCB) was also seen which is an indication of osteoarthritis (OA) (*). (b) H&E staining of a 60 week old BALB/c AKU mouse also showed the appearance of concentric ring structures around a chondrocyte in ACC of the lateral femoral condyle (LFC) (arrowed), along with protrusion of the SCB into ACC. (c) Schmorl’s staining of a 60 week old BALB/c AKU mouse showed large numbers of pigmented chondrocytes, a hallmark of AKU, present throughout ACC of the LFC (arrowed). Pigmented chondrocytes were also visible in the H&E stained section (b) where they can be seen deep in ACC (*). (d) Analysis of a 49 week old BALB/c AKU mouse showed complete loss of the articular surface and vertical clefts running through the medial tibial plateau (arrowed), illustrating the severity of OA in these mice. Scale = 20 µm.
