Histology of epiphyseal cartilage calcification and endochondral ossification

Cartilage calcification is carried out by chondrocytes as they hypertrophy and begin to secrete matrix vesicles. Calcification initiates when calcium phosphates appear inside these matrix vesicles, forming hydroxyapatite crystals that eventually break through the membrane to form calcifying globules, as in bone calcification. However, the extracellular environment in cartilage is different from that in bone: cartilage is abundant in proteoglycans but contains a small amount of osteopontin. Hypertrophic chondrocytes secrete vesicles in the cartilaginous matrix of intercolumnar septae only, forming well-calcified longitudinal septae and poorly-calcified transverse partitions. Such pattern of vesicle deposition permits the invasion of endothelial cells, which infiltrate into cartilage and induce migration of osteogenic and osteoclastic cells. Osteoclasts resorb the excess of calcified globules in the partitions, shaping calcified cartilage cores paralleling the longitudinal axis of long bones. After the formation of these calcified cartilage cores, endochondral ossification involves a series of well-defined events in which osteogenic cells deposit new bone onto the cartilage core and form primary trabecules. This review presents the histology of epiphyseal cartilage calcification and endochondral ossification.