BACKGROUND/AIMS Chondroitin sulfate synthase 1 (CHSY1) is a glycosyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of chondroitin and dermatan sulfate glycosaminoglycan (GAG). TGF-β can stimulate sulfated GAG production in nucleus pulposus cells; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. METHODS CHSY1 expression was examined in rat nucleus pulposus treated with TGF-β using real-tim...

Introduction Low back and radicular pain induced by lumbar disc herniation are a major clinical problem with huge monetary. The study of low back pain has been hindered, until recently, by the absence of an adequate animal model. Recently we have reported applying nucleus pulposus tissue, obtained from tail intervertebral discs that had been subjected to chronic mechanical compression, to the l...

Intervertebral disc cells cultured in alginate gel are capable of reforming in alginate, a matrix that consists of two compartments: a rim of metabolically active cell-associated matrix and a more abundant, but metabolically less active, further removed matrix. At any one age and in most species, the cell-associated matrix formed by a nucleus pulposus or annulus fibrosus cell cultured in this w...

STUDY DESIGN Cyclic mechanical stress (CMS) was applied to cultured nucleus pulposus and anulus fibrosus cells, and the production of inflammatory agents by these cells was evaluated. OBJECTIVE To investigate the involvement of CMS in the production of inflammatory agents by disc cells. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA It has been reported that CMS affects degeneration of the disc. However, littl...

OBJECTIVE To investigate transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) regulation of CCN3 expression in cells of the nucleus pulposus. METHODS Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses were used to measure CCN3 expression in the nucleus pulposus. Transfections were used to measure the effect of Smad3, MAPKs, and activator protein 1 (AP-1) on TGFβ-mediated CCN3 ...

INTRODUCTION The goals of this study were to examine the oxemic regulation of Wnt signaling to explore whether Wnt signaling accelerates the age-related degeneration of nucleus pulposus cells, and if so, to define the mechanism underlying this effect. We investigated the expression of Klotho, a newly identified antiaging gene, and whether its regulation is attributable to the suppression of Wnt...

To gain further insight into the biomechanics of the human intervertebral disc and to determine a potential mechanism for causation and relief of symptoms related to a herniated disc, the pressure-volume relation was determined within the nucleus pulposus. Pressure was measured continuously within the nucleus pulposus in 17 intact lumbar discs from human cadavers by means of a miniature strain ...

It has previously been demonstrated that disc puncture in the rat induced changes in grooming and wet dog shakes, two behavioral changes that may be linked to discomfort and neuropathic pain. In this study the aim was to separate the effects of disc injury and the epidural presence of nucleus pulposus. Following anesthesia, the L4-5 disc was exposed using a dorsal approach. Ten rats received a ...

objective(s): activation of acid-sensing ion channel 1a (asic1a) is responsible for tissue injury caused by acidosis in nervous systems. but its physiological and pathological roles in nucleus pulposus cells (npcs) are unclear. the aim of this study is to investigate whether asic1a regulates the survival of npcs in the acidic environment of degenerated discs. materials and methods: npcs were is...

It has been observed that puncture of a lumbar disc may induce formation of a nodule on the surface of the disc and osteophytes. It is not known if this is based on the presence of a foreign tissue or specifically by the presence of nucleus pulposus or on the disc injury. In this study these mechanisms were separated by comparing disc puncture with application of nucleus pulposus without disc i...