Low temperature scanning electron microscopy of the superficial envelope of canine chondrocytes in culture

Abstract

Low temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) has been employed to examine the surface morphology of chondrocyte cultures on ceramic granules. Well-established cultures on porous hydroxyapatite consist of ceramic cores overlaid and interspersed with a cellular matrix of collagen and proteoglycan (Cheung, 1985); of especial interest is the superficial layer of cells. These cells are believed, on the basis of immuno-light microscopy (Gardner et al., 1987), to be coated by an hydrated porous envelope of collagen/proteoglycan which is likely to obscure cell outlines. This relationship is confirmed by enzymic digestion of the superficial material. Post-digestion LTSEM examination of the fully hydrated preparations establishes the existence of arrays of rounded structures identified as superficial cells.

Advances in the microscopy of osteoarthritis

“…The results achieved refer in all cases to in vivo conditions. The technique has been used in a very large number of studies in biology (Lawton et al, 1989a(Lawton et al, , 1991, in a relatively small number of instances in the investigation of experimental and human OA (Lawton et al, 1989b). These authors examined the progression of lesions on the unfixed, hydrated femoral condylar surfaces of STR/ORT mice, animals notoriously susceptible to the heritable changes of OA.…”