THE EFFECTS OF AGE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS ON THE PERMEABILITY AND HISTOLOGY OF SYNOVIAL TISSUE IN THE RAT

64 Pages·2.513 MB·English

by  MOFFETT, BENJAMIN CHARLES, JR

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Xerox University Microfilms
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I .C-7
Moffett, Benjardn Charles, 19'23-
1952
The effects of age and physiological
i ,i,:6
factors on the permeability and histo­
logy of synovial tissue in the rat.
Mi?P» illu s . tables.
Thesis (Ph.D.) - il.Y.U., Graduate
vchcol, 1952.
Bibliography: p .!;l4j.5.
C98321
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UNIVERSITY HEIfiHTR
The Effects of Age and Physiological Factors
1
on the Permeability and Histology of Synovial Tissue in the Rat
Benjamin C."Moffett Jr.
A dissertation in the department of Anatomy submitted
in partial fulfillm ent of the requirements for the Degree Doctor of
Philosophy, at New York University.
June 1952
Table of Contents
page
Introduction 1
Embryology of Synovial Tissue - - - - - - ----------- 1
Anatomy of Synovial Tissue - - - - - - - - - - - -- 3
Histology - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Synovial Cells - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Innervation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4-
Blood Supply and Lymphatics - - - - - - - - - 5
Synovial Fluid - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6
Permeability of Synovial Tissue - - - - - - - - - 3
General Description - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8
Manner of Fluid Exchange - - - - - - - - - - 8
Effect of Pressure - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8
Effect of Exercise - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9
Effect of Joint Position - - - - - - - - - - 1 0
Other Factors - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 0
Permeability Changes Associated with Joint
Pathology - - 11
Problem - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 2
Development of Method - - - - - - - - - - - 1 3
Effects of Age - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14,
Endocrine Influences - - - - - - - - - - - - 14.
Histology and Histochemistry - - — - - - - - 14,
page
II. Procedure and Methods - - - - - - - - - . - - - - - - - 1 4
Synovial Permeability* Development of Method - - 14
Experimental Groups - - - - - . - - - - - - - - - - 1 6
Histology and Histochemistry - - - - - - - - - - - 1 8
III. Observations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 9
Synovial Permeability - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 19
Ground Substance - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 0
Blood Supply - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 1
Effects of Age - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -2 2
Endocrine Influences - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 4
Histology and Histochemistry - - - - - - - - - - - 2 6
IV, Discussion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -2 9
Synovial Permeability: Methods for Testing - - - 29
Ground Substance* Histochemical Methods - - - - - 31
Effects of Age - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 2
Endocrine Influences - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 4
V, Summary and Conclusions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 7
VI. Foot Notes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 9
VII. Bibliography - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 41
The Effects of Age and Physiological Factors
On the Permeability and Histology of Synovial
Tissue in the Rat
I. Introduction
The recent progress in the treatment of joint pathology
following the discovery by Hench et al (1) that cortisone affects
the course of rheumatoid arthritis has been an incentive for this
study of joint permeability. Basically this thesis is concerned with
the development of a technique suitable for measuring the permeability
of synovial tissue and then using this technique to determine what
factors affect that permeability. An histological study is included
to show what structural changes are associated with an altered per­
meability. Before considering the results of this work, a review of
the literature on the embryology, anatomy, and physiology of synovial
joints is essential.
Embryology of Synovial Tissue
The development of synovial joints is well described by
Haines (2). In the 11 mm human fetus chondrification centers appear in
the mesenwhymatous skeletal blastema. These centers grow by apposition
and form cartilage models of the developing bones. The unchondrified
blastema between these cartilages becomes reduced In thickness to form
a narrow interzone or primitive joint plate which is the first indica­
tion of a joint.
2
- -
At 16 mm the interzones of the larger joints are contin­
uous with the perichondrium surrounding the cartilages. The future
joint capsules are seen as curving strata of cells arranged longitu­
dinally, passing around the joint regions. Between this capsule and
the perichondrium around the ends of the cartilage is the undifferen­
tiated synovial mesenchyme. Small blood vessels pierce the capsule
and enter the synovial mesenchyme.
At 21 mm the interzones or areas between the embryonic
cartilages of some joints differentiate into a chondrogenous portion
which w ill form the articular surfaces and a central or intermediate
loose layer which is continuous peripherally with the synovial mesen­
chyme. The chondrogenous layers are continuous peripherally with the
perichondrium and together they completely invest the end of the skel­
etal element.
At 29 mm the synovial tissue at the periphery of the joint
breaks down. At 30 mm the interzones and inner synovial mesenchyme begin
to break down. The ground substance becomes liquefied leaving a cellular
network. Most of these cells migrate to form a lining on the walls of
the cavity. These cavities appear in the larger joints at or soon after
the onset of periosteal ossification in the long bones. The remains of
the liquefied interzone or synovial mesenchyme form a thin fib rillar
layer of flattened cells over the cartilage but these dfeappear later. At
first the synovial surfaces are ragged but as the extension of the cavity
slows down the surface of the capsule becomes smoothed off and covered
with a layer of synovial cells. The joint capsule becomes continuous
with the perichondrium over the chondrified blastema and differentiates
into dense fibrous tissue.
3
- -
Anatomy of Synovial Tissue
The synovial tissue lines the joint everywhere except
over the articular cartilages. Projections of it extend into the
joint cavity. The small ones, called synovial v illi, are merely
fibrous tufts with cells embedded in them and scattered about their
surfaces. Synovial folds are larger projections involving a folding
of the whole thickness of the tissue. These may present secondary
folds which when clustered together and covered with v illi are called
synovial fringes. They increaeeythe surface area of the synovial tissues
and also the rapidity with which substances diffuse into and out of the
joint cavity.
Microscopically the synovial tissue is composed of a colla­
genous groundwork containing connective tissue cells. The thickness
and cell content vary in different parts of the joint. The synovial
cells are not greatly differentiated and therefore are capable of rapid
repair. Key (3) demonstrated this by removing synovial tissue from the
knees of rabbits. This was quickly followed by fibrin formation and in fil­
tration of connective tissue cells from the capsule. Within sixty days,
the newly formed tissue could not be distinguished from the undamaged
tissue around it.
Le Gros Clark (4) showed that synovial cells are not primarily
phagocytic in function by injecting trypan blue into a rabbit's knee joint.
It required twelve hours before the synovial cells took up the dye as
granules and even then the granules were fine and discrete as compared to
the coarse clumped ones usually seen in clasmatocytes.
The synovial tissue may lie directly on the fibrous capsule
4
- -
of the joint or be separated from it by other connective tissue. On this
basis Key (5) classifies synovial tissue into three types: fibrous, are­
olar, and adipose.
The fibrous type is found over areas subjected to a continuous
pressure, such as ligaments, tendons, or fibrocatilage. Here the synovial
tissue is thinned out; its cells are widely separated from each other
and are difficult to distinguish from fibroblasts. Most of the lining
is composed of intercellular substance.
The areolar type of synovial tissue is found where mobility
is required. Here the synovial tissue is thickest, often consisting of
three or four layers of cells embedded in collagenous fibers which blend
with those of the areolar tissue. Davies (6) describes elastic fibers in
the areolar synovial tissue which prevent it from being caught between
the articular surfaces during movement of the joint.
The adipose type of synovial tissue covers the intraarticular
fat pads which bulge into the cavity fillin g up the irregularities in the
intraarticular surfaces. The surface cells usually form a single layer
which appears to rest on the adipose tissue but these cells are also em­
bedded in collagenous fibers. Thus there are three histological types of
synovial tissue, a ll of which may be found in a single joint.
The review by Gardner (7) indicates that there is no agreement
on the types of nerve endings to be found in synovial tissue. The synovial
blood vessels are innervated by myelinated and non-rayelinated fibers but
it is not certain whether the function of synovial tissue can be altered
by these nerves. Engel (3) says that sympathectomy alters the passage of
dyes into the joint space but Cheng (9) could not confirm this.
A different vascular pattern has been described by Davies (10)
for each type of synovial tissue. In areolar areas the larger arteries ’
and veins run deeply forming a wide-meshed plexus parallel to the synovial
surface. This plexus sends branches into the synovial tissue forming a
smaller meshed plexus closer to the surface which in turn supplies a third
irregularly quadrilateral plexus of arterioles and venules very close to
the surface. The third plexus gives off many terminal capillaries with
the result that this superficial portion is richly vascularized. There
are usually two veins following each artery. Halves are frequent in all
veins.
In adipose synovial tissue, the larger vessels enter directly
into the base of the fat pad and branch in tree-fashion. There is no
specialized capillary net at the joint surface.
In fibrous areas, arterioles and venules run longitudinally
between the connective tissue fibers. Small transverse vessels connect
them.
In general the characteristics of the synovial blood supply are
multiple origins of supply, voluminous terminal veins with many valves,
frequent anastomoses, and a superficial capillary plexus. The vascular
pattern in the areolar areas allows the fastest rate of fluid exchange to
take place here.
Davies (10) has found that lymphatics are few in number and
lie deep in synovial tissue. They begin as blind tubes which converge
into large vessels passing toward the flexor aspect of the joint. They
anastomose with the periosteal lymphatics and then empty into the main
lymphatic vessels of the limb.