What substances are the invertebral discs made of?

Question

I know that they are donut shaped discs filled with fibrous gel but what is the 'skin' of the disc made of and what is the fibrous gel inside made of?

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interverteb...

Answer 2

Invertibrates do not have disks ( they have no backbone)

Answer 3

Intervertebral discs act as elastic cushions between the vertebral bodies and extend from the neck region to the tail. They absorb shock and facilitate movement of the vertebral column. The intervertebral disc consists of two portions: an outer ring or annulus fibrosis made up of firm fibrous tissue and an inner part, the nucleus pulposus.

The nucleus is composed of a lattice framework of collagen embedded in a highly hydrated gelatinous mass containing cells called chondrocytes and the biochemical glycosaminoglycans hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate and keratin sulfate.

The outer or peripheral layers of the annulus are composed of type I collagen. In comparison, the inner annular layers lying next the nucleus pulposus are referred to as the transitional zone and are composed of fibrocartilaginous material.

http://www.dachshund-dca.org/discbook.ht...

http://members.aol.com/pxlbarrel/dachcir...

Answer 4

Mostly chondroitin sulfate and water.

Trivial knowledge: people are actually taller when they wake up in the morning because water entered the disks when people are asleep in the recumbent position. This expands the IVDs making the spine become longer. Hardening of the IVD and the consequent loss of water in the fibrous gel as part of the aging process is one reason why people seem to become shorter with age.