Tryptophan alleles in COL9A2 and COL9A3 have been shown to be associated with lumbar disc disease in the Finnish population, and polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) (FokI and TaqI), the matrix metalloproteinase-3 gene (MMP-3) and an aggrecan gene (AGC1) VNTR have been reported to be associated with disc degeneration.
Polymorphisms in several structural and inflammatory genes like collagens, aggrecan, matrix metalloproteinases are associated with the risk of disc degeneration.
The NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β axis is active in cartilaginous endplates of patients with Modic changes and inflammatory cascades can exacerbate the cartilaginous endplate degeneration which may act as a trigger for intervertebral disc degeneration and low back pain.
We found that serglycin expression increased with increasing disc degeneration both in vivo and in vitro, and also increased with exposure in vitro to IL-1ß and TNF-α.
Tryptophan alleles in COL9A2 and COL9A3 have been shown to be associated with lumbar disc disease in the Finnish population, and polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) (FokI and TaqI), the matrix metalloproteinase-3 gene (MMP-3) and an aggrecan gene (AGC1) VNTR have been reported to be associated with disc degeneration.
Degeneration scores were significantly worse in cases with COL1A1 Sp1, COL9a3 Trp3, and VDR TaqI mutations; however, COL9a2 Trp2 mutation was not associated with a difference in the severity of disc degeneration.
To determine the expression of ADAMTS-4, a metalloproteinase capable of digesting aggrecan, and its role in herniated lumbar intervertebral disc degradation.
Genetic polymorphisms in 20 genes have been analyzed in association with DD, including vitamin D receptor, growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5), aggrecan, collagen Types I, IX, and XI, fibronectin, hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1 (HAPLN1), thrombospondin, cartilage intermediate layer protein (CILP), asporin, MMP1, 2, and 3, parkinson protein 2, E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (PARK2), proteosome subunit β type 9 (PSMB9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), and IL1α, IL1β, and IL6.
An in vitro model of disc degeneration using human nucleus pulposus cells (hNPCs) and ex vivo culture of mouse intervertebral discs organs under the actions of inflammatory cytokines were used, and the expression of Col II and aggrecan in hNPCs were detected by semi-quantitative western blot analysis, and the mRNA expression of the genes than encode Col II and aggrecan were detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).
Aggrecan fragments have been found in human degenerated discs, and an association between the aggrecan VNTR polymorphism and intervertebral disc degeneration has been previously reported in middle-aged Finnish men.
This in vitro study has shown that the use of ex vivo gene transfer to degenerate disc tissue is a feasible therapy for the inhibition of IL-1-mediated events during disc degeneration.
IL-1β and hypoxia synergetically contributed to the catabolic effects of the nucleus pulposus cells by upregulating the expression of MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 through the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway, indicating that the NF-κB signaling pathway is a key mediator of intervertebral disc degeneration.