Which cartilage is the main type found in joints and provides smooth surfaces with minimal friction?

Which cartilage is the main type found in joints and provides smooth surfaces with minimal friction?

• A. Elastic cartilage
• B. Fibrocartilage
• C. Articular cartilage
• D. Hyaline cartilage

Answer: (D)

The surface that lines the ends of bones in synovial joints and provides a very smooth, low-friction gliding area is formed by hyaline cartilage. In joints this cartilage is specifically called articular cartilage. It has a high water content and a relatively sparse, well-organized network of type II collagen and proteoglycans, with chondrocytes in small lacunae. This structure lets the joint surfaces slide against each other with minimal friction and helps distribute loads across the joint, while being avascular and nourished by the surrounding synovial fluid. Elastic cartilage contains more elastic fibers and supports flexible structures like the ear and epiglottis, not joint surfaces. Fibrocartilage is tougher and rich in dense collagen, providing great resistance to compression in places like the menisci and intervertebral discs, but it isn’t the smooth surface you find coating joint ends. So the cartilage that best fits the description of the main joint surface with smooth, low-friction movement is hyaline cartilage.

The surface that lines the ends of bones in synovial joints and provides a very smooth, low-friction gliding area is formed by hyaline cartilage. In joints this cartilage is specifically called articular cartilage. It has a high water content and a relatively sparse, well-organized network of type II collagen and proteoglycans, with chondrocytes in small lacunae. This structure lets the joint surfaces slide against each other with minimal friction and helps distribute loads across the joint, while being avascular and nourished by the surrounding synovial fluid.

Elastic cartilage contains more elastic fibers and supports flexible structures like the ear and epiglottis, not joint surfaces. Fibrocartilage is tougher and rich in dense collagen, providing great resistance to compression in places like the menisci and intervertebral discs, but it isn’t the smooth surface you find coating joint ends. So the cartilage that best fits the description of the main joint surface with smooth, low-friction movement is hyaline cartilage.