Shen Chengchun, Li Yan, Chen Yunlin, Huang Lei, Zhang Feng, Wu Wei
Department of Orthopedics, Ningbo No. 6 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315010, P.R. China.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315010, P.R. China.
Exp Ther Med. 2020 Nov;20(5):106. doi: 10.3892/etm.2020.9227. Epub 2020 Sep 18.
The mechanisms of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) involve numerous factors, including loss of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and vascular ingrowth. Melatonin has been reported to protect intervertebral discs (IVDs) from degeneration and to exert a potential anti-angiogenic effect. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-angiogenic and anabolic effects of melatonin in IVDs. Human nucleus pulposus (NP) and degenerative nucleus pulposus (DNP) cells were isolated and treated with melatonin. The results indicated that melatonin promoted ECM synthesis and NP cell proliferation. In addition, an NP/DNP and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) co-culture model was used to investigate the anti-angiogenesis effect of melatonin. Melatonin was indicated to suppress tube formation and migration of HUVECs in culture with NP cell-conditioned medium, as well as in an NP cell co-culture model. Fluorescence-labeled vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was used to study the binding between VEGF and its receptor. The results of the present study indicated that melatonin exerts an angiogenic effect via inhibition of the binding of VEGF to its receptor in HUVECs. Taken together, these results suggest that melatonin is a potential agent to prevent IDD.
椎间盘退变（IDD）的机制涉及众多因素，包括细胞外基质（ECM）的丢失和血管长入。据报道，褪黑素可保护椎间盘（IVD）免于退变，并发挥潜在的抗血管生成作用。本研究的目的是探讨褪黑素在IVD中的抗血管生成和合成代谢作用。分离出人髓核（NP）细胞和退变髓核（DNP）细胞，并用褪黑素进行处理。结果表明，褪黑素促进了ECM合成和NP细胞增殖。此外，采用NP/DNP与人脐静脉内皮细胞（HUVEC）共培养模型来研究褪黑素的抗血管生成作用。结果表明，在与NP细胞条件培养基共培养以及在NP细胞共培养模型中，褪黑素均能抑制HUVECs的管腔形成和迁移。使用荧光标记的血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）来研究VEGF与其受体之间的结合。本研究结果表明，褪黑素通过抑制VEGF与HUVECs中其受体的结合发挥抗血管生成作用。综上所述，这些结果表明褪黑素是预防IDD的一种潜在药物。
