Age-related Changes in Human Intervertebral Discs. a Comparative Light-microscopic, Electron-microscopic and Histochemical Study

The aim of present study is to evaluate age-related changes in human intervertebral discs using light-microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and histochemical techniques. Intervertebral discs from 10 adult human cadavers and 10 patients undergoing spinal surgery due to degenerative diseases of the spinal column, from different age, were examined. Using aforementioned techniques we established diminished number of chondrocytes and apoptosis of cells. Clusters of cells, changes in the lamellar structure, thickness and calcification of intervertebral discs were also found, as well as positive reaction for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase, which is a marker for nitric oxide synthase and an indirect marker for nitric oxide, linked with the degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc