4. Tissues & Histology
Specialized Connective Tissue: Cartilage
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So here we have an example problem that asks, how does the structure of fibrocartilage benefit its function in intervertebral discs? And we've got these 4 potential answer options down below. And so option a says that large amounts of collagen bundles resist compression but allow flexibility. Now, this option seems reasonable, but let's skip it for now and check the other options. And so option b says, large amounts of elastic fibers resist compression but allow flexibility. Now recall from our previous lesson videos that fibrocartilage has an extracellular matrix made of really dense and thick bundles of collagen fibers. And elastic fibers are not going to predominate in large amounts in the extracellular matrix. And elastic fibers are going to be more important for elasticity, and they don't really allow for the resistance of compression forces like collagen fibers do. And so for those reasons, we can eliminate answer option b. Now option c says adipocytes provide shock absorption. Now recall that adipocytes are fat cells that store fats or triglycerides as these relatively large lipid droplets within the adipocytes. And recall that adipocytes are mainly found in loose connective tissues, such as adipose connective tissue and areolar connective tissue. But these adipocytes are not going to be found in fibrocartilage. And so for that reason, we can eliminate answer option c. Although, fibrocartilage does have chondroblasts and chondrocytes, do recall that they do also have some fibroblasts. But again, they don't have any adipocytes or fat cells. Now, option d says, chondrocytes provide shock absorption. Now, this is an interesting answer option, but it's important to note that it's not the cells that provide shock absorption. And again, the chondrocytes are the cells. It's mainly going to be the extracellular matrix that's produced by the cells that provides the shock absorption in the tissue. And so, option d can be eliminated for that reason. And so, of course, this means option a is the correct answer. And so, fibrocartilage is going to have large amounts of collagen bundles in its extracellular matrix, which allows it to resist compression forces, but also allows it to have a little bit of flexibility since collagen fibers have a little bit of flexibility as well. And so, option A here is the correct answer to this problem. And again, those intervertebral discs are in between the vertebrae or the bones within the spine. And so, this here concludes this example, and I'll see you all in our next video.
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