Nonreducible crosslink formation in tibial dyschondroplastic growth plate cartilage from broiler chicks fed homocysteine.

In the study of tibial dyschondroplasia, scientists have for a long time thought that an altered extracellular matrix might be involved in the etiology of the disease. The results presented in this paper show that the collagen content was increased in the dyschondroplastic cartilage when compared to normal growth plate and day-old hypertrophic cartilage. Furthermore, nonreducible crosslinks were found only in dyschondroplastic cartilage, with the greatest amounts occurring in the distal region of the lesion, approximately 10-fold higher than that found in the dyschondroplastic growth plate. Thus, intermolecular collagen bonding is altered in the extracellular matrix of dyschondroplastic cartilage. Possible models for the etiology of the disease are discussed.