Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646099, P.R. China.
Orthopaedics Key Laboratory of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, 82 Cuiying Men, Lanzhou, 730000, P.R. China.
Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2023;24(11):1343-1350. doi: 10.2174/1389201024666221209163234.
Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the leading cause of lower back pain and seriously affects the quality of life of patients. The intervertebral disc (IVD) is an environment of hypoxia, ischemia, acidity, and hypertonicity. Matrix acidity potentially negatively affects gene expression, activity, proliferation, and apoptosis of IVD cells. Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are a group of proton-gated ion channels that play important roles in physiological and pathological conditions. The distribution of ASICs in the nucleus pulposus (NP), annulus fibrosus, cartilage endplate, and nucleus pulposus mesenchymal stem cells (NP-MSCs), as well as the special functions of ASIC1a and ASIC3, show that ASICs play an important role in IDD. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the roles of ASICs in the development and basic pathology of IDD and their potential relevance as therapeutic targets. A deeper understanding of the roles of ASICs in these processes may provide novel therapeutic targets for IDD prevention and treatment.
椎间盘退变（IDD）是导致下腰痛的主要原因，严重影响患者的生活质量。椎间盘（IVD）处于低氧、缺血、酸性和高渗环境中。基质酸性可能会对 IVD 细胞的基因表达、活性、增殖和凋亡产生负面影响。酸敏离子通道（ASICs）是一组质子门控离子通道，在生理和病理条件下发挥重要作用。ASICs 在髓核（NP）、纤维环、软骨终板和 NP 间充质干细胞（NP-MSCs）中的分布，以及 ASIC1a 和 ASIC3 的特殊功能，表明 ASICs 在 IDD 中发挥重要作用。在这篇综述中，我们全面讨论了 ASICs 在 IDD 的发生和基础病理学中的作用，以及它们作为治疗靶点的潜在相关性。深入了解 ASICs 在这些过程中的作用可能为 IDD 的预防和治疗提供新的治疗靶点。
