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Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, Vol. 50, 955-960, July 2002, Copyright © 2002, The Histochemical Society, Inc.

ARTICLE

An Immunohistochemical Study of the Rabbit Suprapatella, a Sesamoid Fibrocartilage in the Quadriceps Tendon Containing Aggrecan

T. Tischera,b, S. Milza, M. Maierb, M. Schiekerc, and M. Benjamind
a Anatomy Department, School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, United Kingdom
b Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, United Kingdom
c Department of Surgery, School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, United Kingdom
d Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany, and Anatomy Unit, School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Correspondence to: S. Milz, Anatomische Anstalt, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Pettenkoferstr. 11, D-80336 München, Germany. E-mail: stefan.milz@anat.med.uni-muenchen.de

The rabbit suprapatella is a sesamoid fibrocartilage in the deep surface of the tendon of vastus intermedius and an integral part of the knee joint. We report the presence of a variety of proteoglycans (aggrecan and versican), glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin 4 and 6 sulfate, dermatan sulfate, keratan sulfate) and glycoproteins (tenascin) in its extracellular matrix and the intermediate filament vimentin in the fibrocartilage cells. The most significant finding is the presence of aggrecan in the extracellular matrix, along with its associated link protein and several of its integral glycosaminoglycans. Aggrecan probably enables the suprapatella to withstand compression. Although it can be assumed that aggrecan metabolites detected in synovial fluid from some human joints are predominantly associated with articular hyaline cartilage, the presence of aggrecan in the rabbit suprapatella means that this cannot be assumed for all animal knee joints. We conclude that it is important for orthopedic researchers who use animal models for arthritis research to check for the presence of a suprapatella when joint fluid analyses are interpreted.

(J Histochem Cytochem 50:955–960, 2002)

Key Words: fibrocartilage, aggrecan, link protein, collagens, extracellular matrix, vimentin


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