Postnatal Development of the Cruciate Ligament Insertions in the Rat Knee

The postnatal structural remodelling and calcification patterns in the insertions (entheses) of both cruciate ligaments were studied in a rat model with histology and immunohistochemical analysis of collagens types I and II. In the neonate, both ligaments which labelled only for type I collagen attached to epiphyseal cartilage which solely labelled for collagen type II. The entheses calcified between days 20 and 35, and a subchondral bone plate...