Elastic cartilage
| Elastic cartilage | |
|---|---|
 The auricula. Lateral surface. | |
| Identifiers | |
| MeSH | D051472 |
| TH | H2.00.03.5.00018 |
| FMA | 64785 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Elastic cartilage or yellow cartilage is a type of cartilage present in the outer ear, larynx, and epiglottis. It contains elastic fiber networks and collagen fibers.[1] The principal protein is elastin.
Elastic cartilage is histologically similar to hyaline cartilage but contains many yellow elastic fibers lying in a solid matrix. These fibers form bundles that appear dark under a microscope. These fibers give elastic cartilage great flexibility so that it is able to withstand repeated bending. The chondrocytes lie between the fibres. It is found in the epiglottis (part of the larynx) and the pinnae (the external ear flaps of many mammals including humans). Elastin fibers stain dark purple/black with Verhoeff stain.
References
External links
- Histology image: 12_02 at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center - "epiglottis"
- Histology image: 02901loa – Histology Learning System at Boston University
- Histology at ucsd.edu
- Anatomy Atlases – Microscopic Anatomy, plate 03.42
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 279 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
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