Chondrocytes are found in which small spaces within the cartilage matrix?

Chondrocytes are found in which small spaces within the cartilage matrix?

• A. Lacunae
• B. Osteons
• C. Matrix
• D. Chondroblasts

Answer: (A)

Chondrocytes reside in small spaces called lacunae within the cartilage matrix. Lacunae are tiny cavities in the extracellular matrix that cradle each mature cartilage cell, allowing it to be surrounded by matrix while still receiving nutrients through diffusion in the avascular cartilage. Chondroblasts are the immature cells that produce this matrix and later become chondrocytes, so they are not the spaces. Osteons are the structural units of bone, not cartilage, and the matrix is the surrounding substance, not a space.

Chondrocytes reside in small spaces called lacunae within the cartilage matrix. Lacunae are tiny cavities in the extracellular matrix that cradle each mature cartilage cell, allowing it to be surrounded by matrix while still receiving nutrients through diffusion in the avascular cartilage. Chondroblasts are the immature cells that produce this matrix and later become chondrocytes, so they are not the spaces. Osteons are the structural units of bone, not cartilage, and the matrix is the surrounding substance, not a space.