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Review
. 2020 Feb 13;3(1):e1076.
doi: 10.1002/jsp2.1076. eCollection 2020 Mar.

Pathomechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration

Takeshi Oichi  1   2 , Yuki Taniguchi  1 , Yasushi Oshima  1 , Sakae Tanaka  1 , Taku Saito  1
Affiliations
Review

Pathomechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration

Takeshi Oichi et al. JOR Spine. .

Abstract

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the main contributor to low back pain, which is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Although substantial progress has been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of IDD, fundamental and long-lasting treatments for IDD are still lacking. With increased understanding of the complex pathomechanism of IDD, alternative strategies for treating IDD can be discovered. A brief overview of the prevalence and epidemiologic risk factors of IDD is provided in this review, followed by the descriptions of anatomic, cellular, and molecular structure of the intervertebral disc as well as the molecular pathophysiology of IDD. Finally, the recent findings of intervertebral disc progenitors are reviewed and the future perspectives are discussed.

Keywords: epidemiology; genetic; intervertebral disc degeneration; prevalence; progenitors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hematoxylin and eosin staining of mouse lumbar intervertebral disc at 8 weeks of age
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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