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The fate of chondrocytes during ageing of human thyroid cartilage

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Abstract

Human laryngeal cartilages, especially thyroid cartilage, exhibit gender-specific ageing. In contrast to male thyroid cartilages, the ventral half of the female thyroid cartilage plate remains unmineralized until advanced age. In cartilage specimens from laryngectomies and autopsies, apoptosis was studied immunohistochemically and the oxidative mitochondrial enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydride tetrazolium reductase (NADH-TR) was localized histochemically. In addition, very fresh specimens from laryngectomies were fixed under addition of ruthenium hexamine trichloride or tannin to fixation solution to study cell organelles of chondrocytes by electron microscopic methods. In general, apoptotic chondrocytes decreased in thyroid cartilages of both genders, especially after the second decade. In the age group 41–60 years, thyroid cartilage from male specimens revealed a significantly higher percentage of apoptotic cells than did thyroid cartilage from women (P = 0.004), whereas in the age groups 0–20 years and 61–79 years no statistically significant gender difference was determined. In general, thyroid cartilage from women contained more living chondrocytes into advanced age than men. Chondrocytes adjacent to mineralized cartilage were partly positive for apoptosis and NADH-TR and partly negative. Apoptotic chondrocytes often were localized in areas of asbestoid fibres where vascularization and mineralization took place first. Electron microscopy revealed remnants of chondrocytes in asbestoid fibres. Taken together, it can be assumed that some chondrocytes in thyroid cartilage die by apoptosis and that these chondrocytes are characterized by absent reactivity for the mitochondrial enzyme NADH-TR. A possible influence of sexual hormones on apoptotic death of thyroid cartilage cells requires further elucidation.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ms. A. Haupt and Ms. E. Schöngarth (Anatomical Institute Kiel) for their excellent assistance during the experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Große Steinstraße 52, 06097, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Horst Claassen, Martin Schicht & Friedrich Paulsen

  2. Institute of Anatomy, Christian Albrechts University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098, Kiel, Germany

    Horst Claassen

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Straße 40, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Saadettin Sel

  4. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Philipps University of Marburg, Deutschhausstraße 3, 35037, Marburg, Germany

    Jochen Werner

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  1. Horst Claassen
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  2. Martin Schicht
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  3. Saadettin Sel
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  4. Jochen Werner
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  5. Friedrich Paulsen
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Correspondence to Horst Claassen.

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Claassen, H., Schicht, M., Sel, S. et al. The fate of chondrocytes during ageing of human thyroid cartilage. Histochem Cell Biol 131, 605–614 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-009-0569-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-009-0569-1

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