Histochemical Localization of Acid Glycosaminoglycans in Human Articular Cartilage

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Abstract
Fresh human articular cartilage from patients, 23 to 79 years of age, has been examined histochemically for its distribution of acid glycosaminoglycans. The alcian blue stain with different salt concentration enabled us to localize chondroi-tin sulfate and keratan sulfate in the matrix and in the halos. Young cartilage had a fairly even distribution of chondroitin sulfate, and only the matrix of the deepest zone stained less intensely. With increasing age the intensity of the chondroitin sulfate stain decreased and the tendency for a lack of matrix stain in the deeper layer was more pronounced in old than in young cartilage. In young cartilage, keratan sulfate is exclusively found in the matrix; the halos and their immediate surroundings are unstained. With increasing age and distance from the surface this pattern is less marked and keratan sulfate may be found even inside the halos. In the examined material four of the cartilages, here referred to as slightly arthrotic cartilage, showed an acid glycosaminoglycan distribution which differed from normal as well as from arthrotic cartilage. In these cases the chondroitin sulfate concentration was high in the halos while the matrix itself was unstained. The keratan sulfate distribution was even more deviating in showing an unstained matrix and a ring formation around the secondary halos in the upper half, and intensely stained halos in the lower half of the section.

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