Paper Example on Hyaline Cartilage

Hyaline cartilage refers to a type of connective tissue that is found in areas such as the nose, ears, and trachea of a human body. Hyaline is a term to mean "glass-like"; thus, hyaline cartilage is a glossy and greyish-white tissue, and it is the most abundant of all types of cartilage in the body.

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When one views the hyaline cartilage through a high-power microscope, they can see that it consists of a dense network of fine collage and fibers embedded (Armiento et al., 2019). One can see both dark and light-colored circles where the dark spots are chondrocytes, while the others are the lacunae. The collagens are not visible because they are very fine.

The structures consisting of hyaline cartilage throughout life include the articular cartilage that is described to be smooth, tough, resistant to wear, and it articulates the surfaces of bones within synovial joints. The costal cartilages also consist of hyaline cartilage that links the upper pair of ribs to the sternum. It also provides the rib cage with elasticity and flexibility during the respiratory processes.

Another structure consisting of hyaline cartilage is the supporting rings found within the elastic walls of the trachea and the larger bronchial tubes. It is a similar case to the part supporting framework of the larynx as well as the flexible external part of the nose that forms the nostrils. Hyaline is also rich in water content, but it has no nerves or blood vessels.

The structure of hyaline cartilage is that it contains a lot of collagen, more so type II. Type I is found in organs, skin, and tendons. It also has the molecule chondroitin sulfate, whose function is to help it resist the effects of compression (Dinger & Frazier, 2020). The appearance of hyaline cartilage is very uniform. The surrounding membrane is perichondrium, whose purpose is to provide nutrients to the cartilage because there are no blood vessels in the tissue.

Hyaline cartilage is a tissue that is rich in collagen, which is a protein in skin and bones whose function is to hold the body together. This way, hyaline cartilage provides the necessary mechanical support that the respiratory tree needs, the nose, and the developing bones as well. It provides the support and flexibility that various parts of the body require. Within the parts of the respiratory system, hyaline cartilage is necessary to give these parts their form.

Hyaline cartilage is known as articular cartilage when it is found on the articular surfaces of bones like the surfaces at joints (Toyoda et al., 2020). The function of the articular cartilage is to act as a shock absorber as well as reduce friction between bones where they meet at joints. The cartilage wears as an individual ages, and that may lead to pain in the joints and sometimes swelling that may ultimately need surgery.

Conclusion

Generally, hyaline cartilage is vital to the respiratory system and the general human life because it plays a critical role in the flexibility of muscles and providing support. It means that when one lacks the connective tissue, they are unable to have the necessary mechanical support that they need for the respiratory tree that will ultimately collapse. The need for hyaline cartilage to give parts of the respiratory system their form means that it is essential to human life, and every being should have it.

References

Armiento, A. R., Alini, M., & Stoddart, M. J. (2019). Articular fibrocartilage-Why does hyaline cartilage fail to repair?. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 146, 289-305. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169409X18303193

Dinger, F., & Frazier, A. (2020). U.S. Patent No. 10,603,059. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/c5/94/c0/5a8246fba1089f/US10603059.pdf

Toyoda, E., Sato, M., Takahashi, T., Maehara, M., Okada, E., Wasai, S., ... & Watanabe, M. (2020). Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses reveal the potential mode of action of chondrocyte sheets in hyaline cartilage regeneration. International journal of molecular sciences, 21(1), 149. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/1/149