Cell therapy for intervertebral disc repair: Clinical perspective

Abstract

Low back pain is the main cause of disability and is associated with intervertebral disc degeneration. Contemporary treatments are limited to palliative therapeutics or aggressive surgical interventions; however, current advancements in cell therapy offer to fill this breach. Clinical data suggest that cell transplantation can accomplish pain relief without any observed adverse effects. Despite a large variety of preclinical studies and preliminary clinical investigations, controversy remains on the optimal cell type and transplantation strategies. The translational potential of this article lies in the aim to update on the current state of intervertebral disc cell therapy and to identify current obstacles.

Keywords: cell therapy; clinical trial; intervertebral disc.

Figure 1

Canine intervertebral disc and vertebrae sections stained by hematoxylin/eosin staining. (A) A section of a healthy intervertebral disc with a healthy gelatinous nucleus pulposus core. (B) An artificially degenerated disc section with a fibrous nucleus pulposus core. Degeneration was induced by aspirating approximately 25 mg of nucleus pulposus tissue by methods from previously published work . Fourteen weeks after aspiration, the tissue was explanted and stained.