[Translated article] Ramón y Cajal and the cartilaginous growth plate.

M J Delgado-Martos, B Quintana-Villamandos, E Delgado-Baeza

Journal: Revista espanola de cirugia ortopedica y traumatologia 2026;69(4):T402-T410

PMID: 42023792

Abstract

Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934), a distinguished histologist and Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 1906, is considered the father of Neuroscience. However, his legacy also extended to the study of various tissues, including hyaline cartilage, an area in which he was a pioneer. Throughout his work Elements of Normal Histology and Micrographic Technique, Cajal developed fundamental concepts that, when reviewed in light of molecular biology, resonate with current ideas about cellular communication and macromolecular interactions. In particular, his observations on hyaline cartilage, such as stellate chondrocytes, were largely overlooked in the scientific literature until today. In this paper, four hypotheses based on his discoveries are proposed: the architecture of chondrocyte columns, the role of the perichondrium in endochondral ossification, cartilage nutrition, and the role of the Golgi apparatus in the resting zone. Nearly a century later, research on hyaline cartilage continues to confirm Cajal's pioneering ideas.

Address: Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: [email protected].; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Anestesia, Reanimación y Cuidados Críticos, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

DOI: 10.1016/j.recot.2025.05.002

MeSH Terms: History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, Growth Plate, Humans, Chondrocytes, Spain, Histology