middle zone articular chondrocyte 2026-02-18T11:06:13Z transitional zone articular chondrocyte An articular chondrocyte located in the middle (transitional) zone of articular cartilage, characterized by round morphology and relatively random spatial organization, and residing in a matrix enriched in proteoglycans and thicker collagen fibrils oriented obliquely to the articular surface. This cell contributes to the largest volume fraction of articular cartilage and functions primarily in distributing and absorbing compressive loads between the superficial and deep zones. articular chondrocyte