O'Halloran Damien M, Pandit Abhay S
National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
Tissue Eng. 2007 Aug;13(8):1927-54. doi: 10.1089/ten.2005.0608.
In today's world there is an ever increasing incidence of low back pain, which is generally attributed to degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) in those in their second or third decade of life. The most prevalent treatment modalities involve conservative methods (physical therapy and medications) or surgical fusion of the upper and lower vertebral bodies. In the last 10 years, there has been a surge of interest in applying tissue-engineering principles to treat spinal problems associated with the IVD. Tissue engineering provides many promising advantages to treating disc degeneration; it adopts a more biological and reparative approach, whereby the main goal is to restore the properties of the disc to its pre-degenerative state. This review outlines the physiology of the IVD and the etiology of disc degeneration. Much of the research carried out in the field of tissue engineering is based on three predominant constituents: cells, scaffolds, and signals. Thus, specific attention is given to these constituents and their potential use in repairing the IVD. Some of the significant challenges involved in IVD tissue engineering are also identified, and a brief discussion regarding possible future areas of research follows.
在当今世界，腰痛的发病率日益上升，在二三十岁的人群中，腰痛通常被认为是椎间盘退变所致。最常见的治疗方式包括保守治疗（物理治疗和药物治疗）或上下椎体的手术融合。在过去十年中，人们对应用组织工程原理治疗与椎间盘相关的脊柱问题兴趣大增。组织工程为治疗椎间盘退变提供了许多有前景的优势；它采用了更具生物学和修复性的方法，其主要目标是将椎间盘的特性恢复到退变前的状态。本综述概述了椎间盘的生理学以及椎间盘退变的病因。组织工程领域的许多研究基于三个主要要素：细胞、支架和信号。因此，本文将特别关注这些要素及其在修复椎间盘中的潜在用途。还确定了椎间盘组织工程中涉及的一些重大挑战，并随后对未来可能的研究领域进行了简要讨论。
