Which matrix surrounds the lacuna of a chondrocyte in cartilage?

Which matrix surrounds the lacuna of a chondrocyte in cartilage?

• A. Interterritorial Matrix
• B. Lacuna
• C. Territorial Matrix
• D. Perichondrium

Answer: (C)

Chondrocytes sit in small spaces called lacunae, and the matrix immediately around each lacuna is the territorial matrix. This region forms a distinct capsule around the cell and is rich in sulfated glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans, which gives it a dense, basophilic appearance and a clear boundary separating the cell from the surrounding matrix. Between the lacunae lies the interterritorial matrix, which has relatively more collagen and fewer proteoglycans, resulting in a different staining and less distinct border. The perichondrium is the outer covering of cartilage, not the immediate matrix around a chondrocyte. So the matrix surrounding the lacuna is territorial (capsular) matrix.

Chondrocytes sit in small spaces called lacunae, and the matrix immediately around each lacuna is the territorial matrix. This region forms a distinct capsule around the cell and is rich in sulfated glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans, which gives it a dense, basophilic appearance and a clear boundary separating the cell from the surrounding matrix. Between the lacunae lies the interterritorial matrix, which has relatively more collagen and fewer proteoglycans, resulting in a different staining and less distinct border. The perichondrium is the outer covering of cartilage, not the immediate matrix around a chondrocyte. So the matrix surrounding the lacuna is territorial (capsular) matrix.