Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2012 Oct;91(10):846-55. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e31825f145a.
Mechanical forces and inflammatory signaling influence intervertebral disc matrix homeostasis. We hypothesized that annulus fibrosus cells from degenerative discs would have altered responses to mechanical and inflammatory stimuli compared with cells isolated from normal discs.
Annulus fibrosus cells were isolated from New Zealand White rabbits with normal and magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed degenerative discs created by annular stab. Cells were cultured with and without inflammatory and mechanical stimuli (tensile strain). After 4 or 24 hrs, the mRNA expression of inflammatory, catabolic, and anabolic genes was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
Baseline gene expression differences were noted between cells from normal and degenerative discs. Degenerative cells demonstrated a more proinflammatory response profile to inflammatory and mechanical stimuli and loss of the beneficial effects of mechanical signaling. Decreased expression of catabolic and anabolic genes was observed in degenerative cells under conditions of inflammatory and mechanical stimuli.
These data demonstrate that degenerative cells have a decreased capacity to respond positively to beneficial levels of mechanical strain and demonstrate an exaggerated response to an inflammatory stimulus. This may, in part, help to explain differential responses to motion-based therapies in patients with intervertebral disc degeneration.
机械力和炎症信号影响椎间盘基质的动态平衡。我们假设，与从正常椎间盘分离的细胞相比，来自退行性椎间盘的纤维环细胞对机械和炎症刺激的反应会发生改变。
通过环扎术建立新西兰大白兔的正常和磁共振成像确认的退行性椎间盘，从这些椎间盘分离纤维环细胞，在有或没有炎症和机械刺激（张力应变）的情况下培养细胞。4 或 24 小时后，通过逆转录聚合酶链反应测量炎症、分解代谢和合成代谢基因的 mRNA 表达。
正常和退行性椎间盘细胞的基础基因表达存在差异。退行性细胞对炎症和机械刺激的反应呈现出更具促炎的表型，丧失了机械信号的有益作用。在炎症和机械刺激条件下，退行性细胞中分解代谢和合成代谢基因的表达减少。
这些数据表明，退行性细胞对有益水平的机械应变的正向反应能力降低，并对炎症刺激表现出过度反应。这在一定程度上有助于解释椎间盘退变患者对基于运动的治疗方法的不同反应。
