Graduate School, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
Department of Spinal Surgery, Hebei Province Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, Cangzhou, 061013, China.
J Orthop Surg Res. 2023 Apr 11;18(1):292. doi: 10.1186/s13018-023-03759-9.
Nucleus pulposus (NP) cell apoptosis contributed to disc degeneration. Baicalein, a natural steroid saponin, has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and antioxidative effects in various diseases. However, little is known about the roles of baicalein in intervertebral disc degeneration.
To evaluate the roles of baicalein in disc degeneration and its specific mechanism, human NP cells were incubated with TNF-α and various concentrations of baicalein. Cell viability, extracellular matrix protein expression, catabolic factors, degree of apoptosis, inflammatory factors, and related signaling pathways were evaluated by western blotting, fluorescence immunostaining, TUNEL staining, and reverse transcription PCR.
Baicalein inhibited TNF-α-activated apoptotic signaling and catabolic activity in NP cells. Baicalein promoted PI3K/Akt signaling and attenuated the level of apoptosis-related markers in TNF-α-stimulated human NP cells.
Our work provides that baicalein attenuates TNF-α-activated apoptosis in human NP cells through promoting the PI3K/Akt pathway, indicating that baicalein is a new potential candidate for clinical therapy to attenuate disc degeneration.
髓核细胞凋亡导致椎间盘退变。黄芩素是一种天然甾体皂甙，已被证明在多种疾病中具有抗炎、抗凋亡和抗氧化作用。然而，关于黄芩素在椎间盘退变中的作用知之甚少。
为了评估黄芩素在椎间盘退变中的作用及其具体机制，将人 NP 细胞与 TNF-α 和不同浓度的黄芩素孵育。通过 Western blot、荧光免疫染色、TUNEL 染色和逆转录 PCR 评估细胞活力、细胞外基质蛋白表达、分解代谢因子、凋亡程度、炎症因子和相关信号通路。
黄芩素抑制 TNF-α 激活的 NP 细胞凋亡信号和分解代谢活性。黄芩素促进 PI3K/Akt 信号通路，并减轻 TNF-α 刺激的人 NP 细胞中与凋亡相关标志物的水平。
我们的工作表明，黄芩素通过促进 PI3K/Akt 通路来减轻 TNF-α 激活的人 NP 细胞凋亡，表明黄芩素是一种临床治疗椎间盘退变的新的潜在候选药物。
