Which tissue contains chondrocytes embedded in lacunae within an avascular matrix?

Which tissue contains chondrocytes embedded in lacunae within an avascular matrix?

• A. Dense connective tissue
• B. Bone
• C. Blood
• D. Cartilage

Answer: (D)

This describes cartilage, a tissue where chondrocytes live in small spaces called lacunae and are surrounded by a gel-like matrix that lacks blood vessels. The avascular nature means nutrients diffuse through the matrix rather than arriving via blood vessels, which also helps explain why cartilage heals slowly. The outer layer, the perichondrium, can supply nutrients to the surrounding region, but the tissue itself remains nonvascular. By contrast, bone contains osteocytes in lacunae within a mineralized, highly vascular matrix, dense connective tissue houses fibroblasts in a dense collagen network rather than chondrocytes in lacunae, and blood is a fluid tissue without lacunae.

This describes cartilage, a tissue where chondrocytes live in small spaces called lacunae and are surrounded by a gel-like matrix that lacks blood vessels. The avascular nature means nutrients diffuse through the matrix rather than arriving via blood vessels, which also helps explain why cartilage heals slowly. The outer layer, the perichondrium, can supply nutrients to the surrounding region, but the tissue itself remains nonvascular. By contrast, bone contains osteocytes in lacunae within a mineralized, highly vascular matrix, dense connective tissue houses fibroblasts in a dense collagen network rather than chondrocytes in lacunae, and blood is a fluid tissue without lacunae.