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1991 Volvo Award in basic sciences. Collagen types around the cells of the intervertebral disc and cartilage end plate: an immunolocalization study.
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1991
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Tissue EngineeringEngineeringIntervertebral DiscCollagen TypesPathologyBiomedical EngineeringImmunolocalization StudyOrthopaedic SurgeryRegenerative MedicineCartilage Matrix BiologyBiomechanicsCartilage DegenerationOsteoarthritisMatrix BiologyTissue RepairConnective Tissue DiseaseMechanobiologyMedicineVi CollagenMusculoskeletal TissueSpinal BiomechanicsVolvo AwardCartilage End PlateTotal Collagen ContentHuman TissueExtracellular Matrix
Minor collagens beyond Types I and II are present in the intervertebral disc and may play important roles despite their low abundance. The study aimed to map Types I, II, III, IV, VI, and IX collagens in the intervertebral disc and cartilage end plate using immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize these collagens within the tissues. Types III and VI collagens are pericellular, Type IX is absent in normal human discs but present pericellularly in rat and bovine discs, and disc and cartilage end plate cells reside in fibrous capsules forming chondrons, with pathological tissue showing altered collagen distribution and capsule organization.
Several types of collagen are known to exist in the intervertebral disc in addition to the fibrillar collagens, Types I and II. Although they constitute only a small percentage of the total collagen content, these minor collagens may have important functions. This study was designed to investigate the presence of Types I, II, III, IV, VI, and IX collagens in the intervertebral disc and cartilage end plate by immunohistochemistry, thereby establishing their location within the tissues. Types III and VI collagen have a pericellular distribution in animal and human tissue. No staining for Type IX collagen was present in normal human disc, but in rat and bovine intervertebral disc, it was also located pericellularly. These results show that cells of the intervertebral disc and cartilage end plate sit in fibrous capsules, forming chondrons similar to those described in articular cartilage. In pathologic tissue the amount and distribution of the collagen types, and the organization of the pericellular capsule, differ from that seen in control material.