Articular cartilage of diabetic Chinese hamsters

Investigations were carried out in order to determine whether animals with spontaneous diabetes are prone to develop skeletal lesions comparable to those found in diabetic human subjects. The present report deals with the ultrastructure of the cartilage of the hip joint of diabetic Chinese hamsters and nondiabetic control animals. In the diabetic animals, chondrocytes of the femoral head showed atrophy of the endoplasmic reticulum, bizarre mitodhoncria, and huge lipid inclusions, which are changes suggestive of disturbed function.