Chelberg M K, Banks G M, Geiger D F, Oegema T R
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
J Anat. 1995 Feb;186 ( Pt 1)(Pt 1):43-53.
There is clear evidence that tissues related to the intervertebral disc, such as articular cartilage, contain several phenotypically different chondrocytic cell populations. Histological data for the disc suggest the same may be true for the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus, but this has not been shown directly. For the first time, cells from adult human nondegenerative nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus were recovered after enzymatic digestion and maintained in an alginate bead culture system for up to 6 wk. The cells remained viable and produced matrix, but did not divide. Cultured cells were stained simultaneously for the presence of chondroitin sulphate and keratan sulphate, or types I and II collagen. The majority of the cells from both the annulus fibrosus and the nucleus pulposus produced both keratan sulphate and chondroitin sulphate (> 60%), a few only detectable levels of one or the other, but a significant population produced neither. This is an indication of a population of cells with a nonchondrocytic phenotype. In nondegenerative discs, the majority of the annulus fibrosus cells produced both types I and II collagen but the majority of nucleus pulposus cells produced only type II collagen. These observations are consistent with the presence of at least 2 phenotypically stable populations of cells in the adult human intervertebral disc and with the view that the phenotype of the major population of the annulus is different from that of the nucleus.
有明确证据表明，与椎间盘相关的组织，如关节软骨，包含几个表型不同的软骨细胞群体。椎间盘的组织学数据表明，纤维环和髓核可能也是如此，但尚未得到直接证实。首次从成年人类非退变的髓核和纤维环中通过酶消化回收细胞，并在藻酸盐珠培养系统中培养长达6周。细胞保持存活并产生基质，但不分裂。对培养的细胞同时进行硫酸软骨素和硫酸角质素或I型和II型胶原的染色。纤维环和髓核中的大多数细胞都产生硫酸角质素和硫酸软骨素（>60%），少数细胞仅能检测到其中一种的水平，但有相当一部分细胞两者都不产生。这表明存在一群具有非软骨细胞表型的细胞。在非退变椎间盘中，大多数纤维环细胞产生I型和II型胶原，但大多数髓核细胞仅产生II型胶原。这些观察结果与成年人类椎间盘中至少存在2个表型稳定的细胞群体一致，也与纤维环主要细胞群体的表型与髓核不同的观点一致。
