Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China .
Tissue Eng Part A. 2012 Nov;18(21-22):2231-8. doi: 10.1089/ten.TEA.2011.0747. Epub 2012 Aug 8.
Low back pain is a leading health problem in the United States, which is most often resulted from nucleus pulposus (NP) degeneration. To date, the replacement of degenerated NP relies entirely on mechanical devices. However, a biological NP replacement implant is more desirable. Here, we report the regeneration of NP tissue using a biodegradable nanofibrous (NF) scaffold. Rabbit NP cells were seeded on the NF scaffolds to regenerate NP-like tissue both in vitro and in a subcutaneous implantation model. The NP cells on the NF scaffolds proliferated faster than those on control solid-walled (SW) scaffolds in vitro. Significantly more extracellular matrix (ECM) production (glycosaminoglycan and type II collagen) was found on the NF scaffolds than on the control SW scaffolds. The constructs were then implanted in the caudal spine of athymic rats for up to 12 weeks. The tissue-engineered NP could survive, produce functional ECM, remain in place, and maintain the disc height, which is similar to the native NP tissue.
腰痛是美国的一个主要健康问题，通常是由髓核（NP）退化引起的。迄今为止，退化 NP 的替换完全依赖于机械装置。然而，生物 NP 替换植入物更理想。在这里，我们报告了使用可生物降解的纳米纤维（NF）支架再生 NP 组织。将兔 NP 细胞接种在 NF 支架上，以在体外和皮下植入模型中再生 NP 样组织。NP 细胞在 NF 支架上的增殖速度比在体外的对照固体壁（SW）支架上更快。在 NF 支架上发现的细胞外基质（ECM）产生（糖胺聚糖和 II 型胶原）明显多于对照 SW 支架。然后将构建体植入无胸腺大鼠的尾骨中长达 12 周。组织工程 NP 能够存活、产生功能性 ECM、保持原位并维持椎间盘高度，这与天然 NP 组织相似。
