[Cartilage vessels and the ossification center. Metamorphosing cartilage: 2nd communication]

In this paper we compared the vessels and the surrounding cells in the growing (cattle fetus 520 mm SSL) and metamorphosing cartilage of rats. In the growing cartilage the vessels and sinusoid capillares are accompanied by some morphologic uncharacteristical perivasculare cells which may swell oedematatically. Chondorolytic symptoms appear sporadically but not multinucleated chondroclasts are found. In the metamorphosing cartilage the perivasculare cells grow up to large cells exhibiting an extensive granular reticulum. Firstly the intercellularsubstance seems to be destructed, later on degenerate, they pine away, the chondrocytes as well as the chondrocytes with cyst-like cisternae as such with lacunar cisternae. Also a disintegration of cells occurs. The foci of mineralisation in the neighborhood of the vessels consist of needle-shaped cristals in chains arranged along the fibrils.