Elastic cartilage

Elastic cartilage
Elastic cartilage
	A cross section of mammalian elastic cartilage
	Lateral side of the auricle
Details
Part of	Outer ear, Eustachian tube and epiglottis
Identifiers
Latin	Cartilago elastica
MeSH	D051472
TH	H2.00.03.5.00018
FMA	64785
	Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

Elastic cartilage or yellow cartilage is a type of cartilage present in the outer ear, Eustachian tube and epiglottis. It contains elastic fiber networks and collagen type II fibers.^[1] The principal protein is elastin.

Structure

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), the pinnae (the external ear flaps of many mammals). Elastin fibers stain dark purple/black with Verhoeff's stain.

Function

Provide support ^{[citation needed]}
Maintain shape

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 279 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

^ "Elastic cartilage". Medline Plus/Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 1 March 2015.

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 human musculoskeletal system article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[dictionary-1] "Elastic cartilage". Medline Plus/Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 1 March 2015.

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