The articular cartilage has been the subject of a huge amount of research carried out with a wide array of different techniques. Most of the existing morphological and ultrastructural data on the this tissue, however, were obtained either by light microscopy or by transmission electron microscopy. Both techniques rely on thin sections and neither allows a direct, face-on visualization of the free cartilage surface (synovial surface), which is the only portion subject to frictional as well as compressive forces. In the present research, high resolution visualization by scanning electron microscopy and by atomic force microscopy revealed that the collagen fibrils of the articular surface are exclusively represented by thin, uniform, parallel fibrils evocative of the heterotypic type IX-type II fibrils reported by other authors, immersed in an abundant matrix of glycoconjugates, in part regularly arranged in phase with the D-period of collagen. Electrophoresis of fluorophore-labeled saccharides confirmed that the superficial and the deeper layers are quite different in their glycoconjugate content as well, the deeper ones containing more sulfated, more acidic small proteoglycans bound to thicker, more heterogenous collagen fibrils. The differences found between the synovial surface and the deeper layers are consistent with the different mechanical stresses they must withstand.

关节软骨一直是使用多种不同技术进行的大量研究的主题。然而，该组织上大多数现有的形态学和超微结构数据是通过光学显微镜或透射电子显微镜获得的。两种技术都依靠薄截面，并且都不能直接面对自由的软骨表面（滑膜表面）进行可视化观察，这是唯一受到摩擦力和压缩力的部分。在本研究中，通过扫描电子显微镜和原子力显微镜的高分辨率可视化显示，关节表面的胶原原纤维仅由其他作者报道的异型IX型II型原纤维细，均匀，平行的原纤维代表。 ，浸入丰富的糖缀合物基质中，部分与胶原蛋白的D周期有规律地排列。荧光标记的糖的电泳证实，表层和较深层的糖缀合物含量也完全不同，较深的层含有更多硫酸化，更酸性的小蛋白聚糖，与较厚，更不均匀的胶原纤维结合。滑膜表面和较深层之间的差异与其必须承受的不同机械应力是一致的。较深的含有更多硫酸化，更多酸性的小蛋白聚糖，它们与较厚，更不均匀的胶原纤维结合在一起。滑膜表面和较深层之间的差异与其必须承受的不同机械应力是一致的。较深的含有更多硫酸化，更多酸性的小蛋白聚糖，它们与较厚，更不均匀的胶原纤维结合在一起。滑膜表面和较深层之间的差异与其必须承受的不同机械应力是一致的。