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The epiphyseal plate, epiphysial plate, physis, or growth plate is a hyaline cartilage plate in the metaphysis at each end of a long bone.It is the part of a long bone where new bone growth takes place; that is, the whole bone is alive, with maintenance remodeling throughout its existing bone tissue, but the growth plate is the place where the long bone grows longer (adds length).
Light micrograph of undecalcified epiphyseal plate showing endochondral ossification: healthy chondrocytes (top) become degenerating ones (bottom), characteristically displaying a calcified extracellular matrix.
Hyaline cartilage is located in the trachea, nose, epiphyseal plate, sternum, and ribs. [2] Hyaline cartilage is covered externally by a fibrous membrane known as the perichondrium. [2] The primary cells of cartilage are chondrocytes, which are in a matrix of fibrous tissue, proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans. [2] [3]
At the end of the formation of the secondary ossification center, the only two areas where the cartilage remains is at the articular cartilage covering the epiphysis and at the epiphyseal plate between the epiphysis and diaphysis. [3] A schematic for long bone endochondral ossification: [4]
The epiphyseal arteries and osteogenic cells invade the epiphysis, depositing osteoclasts and osteoblasts which erode the cartilage and build bone, respectively. This occurs at both ends of long bones but only one end of digits and ribs. Microscopic image of the growth plate
[3] [4] Between the epiphysis and diaphysis (the long midsection of the long bone) lies the metaphysis, including the epiphyseal plate (growth plate). During formation of the secondary ossification center, vascular canals (epiphysial canals) stemming from the perichondrium invade the epiphysis, supplying nutrients to the developing secondary ...
The longitudinal growth of long bones is a result of endochondral ossification at the epiphyseal plate. Bone growth in length is stimulated by the production of growth hormone (GH), a secretion of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland .
Different behaviors may be exhibited by chondrocytes depending on their position within the different layers. In primary chondrocyte cultures, these zonal differences in synthetic properties may persist. The primary cilia are significant for spatial orientation of cells in developing growth plate and are sensory organelles in chondrocytes.