Cartilage and bone are specialized connective tissues. (It may be useful to review the connective tissue section of Fundamentals of Histology at this point). Like all connective tissues, cartilage and bone consist of cells and extracellular matrix. The matrix of all CTs consists of fibers (collagen, reticular, and elastic) and amorphous ground substance, which contains proteoglycans and hyaluronic acid. Different connective tissues vary in the abundance and types of cells, in the proportion of cells to matrix, and in the properties of the matrix itself, including the numbers and types of fibres and the nature of the ground substance. The matrix is secreted by some of the cells in connective tissues, fibroblasts in most CTs. In cartilage, it is chondroblasts and chondrocytes that produce the matrix, while in bone, it is osteoblasts and osteocytes.

Source: Cartilage and bone are specialized connective tissues. (It may be useful to review the connective ti