[Ultrastructural manifestations of the secretory function of the chondrocytes in elastic cartilage]

The authors examined ultrastructural manifestations of the secretory function of chondrocyetes in the auricular tendon of rats. They found that chondrocyetes were active secretorily in the prenatal and early postnatal ontogenesis; in later age such activity possessed mainly those chondrocytes located subperichondricaly. The existance of direct communications of cysternas of the granulated endoplasmic reticulum with extracellular area was interpreted as a possibility for direct release of the secretory products. Small coated vesicules with dense content were followed-up from the Goldi's organs till their openings on the cellular surface. Two types of vacuoles were differentiated-some with optically dense content, localized in the Goldi's organs, and others-optically empty, which were encountered in their boundaries as well. A concept was given that the first type originates from the granulated endoplasmic reticulum and transported protein product, but the second type-from the Goldgi's complex and transported probably polysaccharides.