Vernon-Roberts Barrie, Moore Robert J, Fraser Robert D
Adelaide Centre for Spinal Research, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide SA, Australia.
Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008 Dec 1;33(25):2767-73. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e31817bb989.
A study of the density of cells in the L4-L5 disc during aging and in the presence of major pathology.
To quantify the density of cells throughout well-preserved adult L4-L5 discs and in discs containing major pathology.
The few and limited studies of disc have largely been part of biochemical studies having a major focus on disc nutrition. Excluding the cartilage end plate, the density of healthy cells in the disc is much lower than that of most body tissues.
The nucleus zone and 18 annulus zones were demarcated by inking the coverslips of hematoxylin-eosin-stained 5-mum thick sagittal sections of the L4-L5 disc. In each of the 19 zones, the healthy disc cells were enumerated in 10 randomly selected nonoverlapping high-power microscope fields.
Assessment of the spatial cellularity in a disc divided into 7 parasagittal sections showed that the average density in the posterior annulus was significantly greater than that in the anterior annulus; the average density in the right half of the disc, including the nucleus, was significantly higher than that in the left and lowest in the left anterior quadrant. Studies of midsagittal sections from the spines of 10 men and 10 women, aged 13 to 78 years, showed that nuclear cellularity declined progressively throughout life, whereas that of the annulus ceased to decline after the age of 50 years. Some tears were associated with low cellularity close to the tear but not elsewhere, whereas extensive end-plate separations showed global reductions in cellularity.
Disc cellularity declines as age advances and is reduced in the vicinity of major tears. Extensive end-plate abnormalities reduce cellularity by impeding disc nutrition.
一项关于衰老过程中及存在主要病理状况时L4 - L5椎间盘细胞密度的研究。
量化保存良好的成人L4 - L5椎间盘以及存在主要病理状况的椎间盘中细胞的密度。
关于椎间盘的研究较少且有限，主要是生物化学研究的一部分，重点关注椎间盘营养。除软骨终板外，椎间盘内健康细胞的密度远低于大多数身体组织。
通过对L4 - L5椎间盘苏木精 - 伊红染色的5微米厚矢状切片的盖玻片进行染色，划分出髓核区和18个纤维环区。在这19个区域中的每个区域，在10个随机选择的不重叠高倍显微镜视野中对健康的椎间盘细胞进行计数。
对分为7个矢状旁切片的椎间盘中空间细胞构成的评估表明，纤维环后部的平均密度显著高于前部；椎间盘右半部分（包括髓核）的平均密度显著高于左半部分，且在左前象限最低。对10名年龄在13至78岁的男性和10名女性脊柱的正中矢状切片研究表明，髓核细胞数量在一生中逐渐下降，而纤维环细胞数量在50岁后不再下降。一些撕裂与撕裂附近的低细胞密度有关，但其他部位无此现象，而广泛的终板分离显示细胞密度整体降低。
随着年龄增长，椎间盘细胞数量减少，在主要撕裂附近细胞数量也减少。广泛的终板异常通过阻碍椎间盘营养供应而降低细胞数量。
