This image illustrates a zone of endochondral bone formation, at the epiphyseal plate of a long bone. Click on the thumbnail at right for an overview.
Note that as one scans across this image from left to right, one sees sequential stages in the process of endochondral ossification.
- Cartilage is growing (expanding) toward the left.
- Across the middle of the image, we see progressive stages of:
- cartilage with hypertrophying chondrocytes (at left, pink with large lacunae),
- calcification of cartilage (deep purple),
- invasion of cartilage by bone (right, red).
Comments and questions: dgking@siu.edu
SIUC / School
of Medicine / Anatomy / David
King
http://www.siumed.edu/~dking2/ssb/cartbone.htm
Last updated: 17 December 2003 / dgk