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What is difference between bone and cartilage.
What is difference between bone and cartilage.
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1 Reply
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Bones and cartilage are structural components of the body. Both of these belong to the category of connective tissues. Both of these provide mechanical strength and support to the body and help in the protection of vital organs. However, they have some marked differences between them.
1. BONES –
· Highly rigid
· Consists of blood vessels and a proper blood supply
· Bones comprise of cells known as osteocytes
· A bone grows bidirectionally, that is, it grows on either ends
· It consists of bone marrow
· The matrix of bone is composed of many organic and inorganic salts
· Calcium phosphate is present
· Structurally, a bone consists of two canal systems – harversian canal system and Volkmann canal system
· There are two types of bones – spongy bone and compact bone
· A new born consists of 300 bones whereas an adult consists of 206 bones
· The entire skeletal system is made of bones – skull, femur, phalanges etc.
2. CARTILAGE
· These are soft and simple structures
· These lack blood vessels and proper blood supply
· Cells of cartilage are known as chondrocytes
· A cartilage grows unidirectionally, that is, it can only grow from one of its either sides
· It does not consist of any bone marrow
· The matrix of a cartilage consists only organic salts
· Neither harversian canal nor Volkmann canal are present in a cartilage
· The different types of cartilages are – hyaline cartilage, elastin cartilage and fibrous cartilage
· Presence – found on the tips of the nose, at the ends of ribs etc.
Bones and cartilage provide mechanical strength to the body. The bone marrow is the site of production of B cells and T cells, a site of maturation of B cells. A bone marks strength whereas cartilage acts as a shock absorber. Bones are sites of the production of RBCs and WBCs whereas no such action takes place in cartilages.
These were the differences between a bone and a cartilage. I hope it helps.