Effect of vitamin-D deficient diet on the rat condylar cartilage collagen

Abstract

I investigated the effect of a vitamin-D deficient diet on the condylar cartilage of rats aged 3, 9, 13 and 21 weeks, using antibodies for types II, IX and X collagen, respectively.Western blot analysis indicated the existence of the three collagen types in the condylar cartilage of animals fed the vitamin-D deficient diet and in controls that were fed a normal diet.Immunohistochemical observation indicated that both types II and IX collagen were localized mainly in the maturative and hypertrophic cell layers, while type X collagen was localized in the hypertrophic cell layer.Differences in localization between the two groups were observed at 13 and 21 weeks of age.