Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria.
Laboratory Animal Facility, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2021 Feb;246(4):483-512. doi: 10.1177/1535370220969123. Epub 2020 Nov 11.
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a painful, chronic and progressive disease, which is characterized by inflammation, structural and biological deterioration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) tissues. DDD is specified as cell-, age-, and genetic-dependent degenerative process that can be accelerated by environmental factors. It is one of the major causes of chronic back pain and disability affecting millions of people globally. Current treatment options, such as physical rehabilitation, pain management, and surgical intervention, can provide only temporary pain relief. Different animal models have been used to study the process of IVD degeneration and develop therapeutic options that may restore the structure and function of degenerative discs. Several research works have depicted considerable progress in understanding the biological basis of disc degeneration and the therapeutic potentials of cell transplantation, gene therapy, applications of supporting biomaterials and bioactive factors, or a combination thereof. Since animal models play increasingly significant roles in treatment approaches of DDD, we conducted an electronic database search on Medline through June 2020 to identify, compare, and discuss publications regarding biological therapeutic approaches of DDD that based on intradiscal treatment strategies. We provide an up-to-date overview of biological treatment strategies in animal models including mouse, rat, rabbit, porcine, bovine, ovine, caprine, canine, and primate models. Although no animal model could profoundly reproduce the clinical conditions in humans; animal models have played important roles in specifying our knowledge about the pathophysiology of DDD. They are crucial for developing new therapy approaches for clinical applications.
退行性椎间盘疾病（DDD）是一种痛苦的、慢性的、进行性疾病，其特征为椎间盘（IVD）组织的炎症、结构和生物退变。DDD 被定义为一种依赖细胞、年龄和遗传的退行性过程，可被环境因素加速。它是全球数百万人慢性背痛和残疾的主要原因之一。目前的治疗选择，如物理康复、疼痛管理和手术干预，只能提供暂时的缓解疼痛。不同的动物模型已被用于研究 IVD 退变过程，并开发可能恢复退变椎间盘结构和功能的治疗选择。一些研究工作已经描述了在理解椎间盘退变的生物学基础和细胞移植、基因治疗、应用支持生物材料和生物活性因子的治疗潜力方面取得了相当大的进展，或者结合这些方法。由于动物模型在 DDD 的治疗方法中发挥着越来越重要的作用，我们在 2020 年 6 月之前通过 Medline 进行了电子数据库检索，以确定、比较和讨论基于椎间盘内治疗策略的 DDD 生物治疗方法的出版物。我们提供了动物模型中生物治疗策略的最新概述，包括小鼠、大鼠、兔子、猪、牛、羊、山羊、犬和灵长类动物模型。尽管没有一种动物模型可以深刻地复制人类的临床情况，但动物模型在明确 DDD 的病理生理学知识方面发挥了重要作用。它们对于开发新的治疗方法以用于临床应用至关重要。
