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. 2016 Jun;95(6):407-15.
doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000000399.

Intervertebral Disc Cells Produce Interleukins Found in Patients with Back Pain

Yejia Zhang  1 , Ana Chee, Peng Shi, Sherrill L Adams, Dessislava Z Markova, David Greg Anderson, Harvey E Smith, Youping Deng, Christopher T Plastaras, Howard S An
Affiliations

Intervertebral Disc Cells Produce Interleukins Found in Patients with Back Pain

Yejia Zhang et al. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2016 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the link between cytokines in intervertebral disc (IVD) tissues and axial back pain.

Design: In vitro study with human IVD cells cultured from cadaveric donors and annulus fibrosus (AF) tissues from patients.

Results: Cultured nucleus pulposus (NP) and AF cells were stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1β. IL-8 and IL-7 gene expression was analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. IL-8 protein was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After IL-1β stimulation, IL-8 gene expression increased 26,541 fold in NP cells and 22,429 fold in AF cells, whereas protein released by the NP and AF cells increased 2,389- and 1,784-fold, respectively. IL-7 gene expression increased 3.3-fold in NP cells (P < 0.05).Cytokine profiles in AF tissues collected from patients undergoing surgery for back pain (painful group) or scoliosis (controls) were compared by cytokine array. IL-8 protein in the AF tissues from patients with back pain was 1.81-fold of that in controls. IL-7 and IL-10 in AF tissues from the painful group were 6.87 and 4.63 times greater than the corresponding values in controls, respectively (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Inflammatory mediators found in AF tissues from patients with discogenic back pain are likely produced by IVD cells and may play a key role in back pain.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Discography: contrast has been injected into the L3/4, L4/5, and L5/S1 intervertebral discs (IVD)
A. fluoroscopic lateral view of the lumbar spine; B: post discography CT scan axial view of the L4/5 disc. Large white arrow indicates an annular tear; small blue arrows indicate zygapophysial joints.
Figure 2
Figure 2. IL-8 gene expression and protein secreted by the annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) cells increase in response to IL-1β
**p<0.01; *p<0.05. Error bars represent standard error of the mean; n=4.
Figure 3
Figure 3. IL-7 and IL-10 gene expression in NP and AF cells in response to IL-1β stimulation
*p<0.05. Error bars represent standard error of the mean; n=4.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Inflammatory mediators identified in human annulus fibrosus (AF) tissues by cytokine array
Tissues in the painful group (P1-9) are from patients undergoing surgery for axial back pain. Control tissues (C1-7) are from patients undergoing surgery for scoliosis deformity. SCF: Stem Cell Factor; SDF-1: chemokine stromal-derived factor-1; OSM: Oncostatin M.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Inflammatory mediators identified in human annulus fibrosus (AF) tissues by cytokine array
Tissues in the painful group are from patients undergoing surgery for axial back pain. Control tissues are from patients undergoing surgery for scoliosis deformity correction; *p<0.05.
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