Basic Staining Techniques for Cartilage Sections

Historically, growth plate (physeal) and articular cartilage have received greater attention than bone because they can be processed and sectioned more easily following paraffin and glycol methacrylate embedment and because they contain extracellular matrix (ECM) components whose interest and importance is not only confined to the skeleton.23 Histology has also played a role in defining the cell and matrix degradation that occurs in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, there has been renewed interest in reliable and informative staining methods for articular cartilage, which can be used in the evaluation of tissue-engineered cartilage. The purpose of this chapter is to review the utility of fundamental staining procedures for cartilage specimens.