Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 May 20;21(10):3601.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21103601.

MicroRNAs in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration, Apoptosis, Inflammation, and Mechanobiology

Petra Cazzanelli  1 , Karin Wuertz-Kozak  1   2
Affiliations
Review

MicroRNAs in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration, Apoptosis, Inflammation, and Mechanobiology

Petra Cazzanelli et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a multifactorial pathological process associated with low back pain, the leading cause of years lived in disability worldwide. Key characteristics of the pathological changes connected with degenerative disc disease (DDD) are the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), apoptosis and senescence, as well as inflammation. The impact of nonphysiological mechanical stresses on IVD degeneration and inflammation, the mechanisms of mechanotransduction, and the role of mechanosensitive miRNAs are of increasing interest. As post-transcriptional regulators, miRNAs are known to affect the expression of 30% of proteincoding genes and numerous intracellular processes. The dysregulation of miRNAs is therefore associated with various pathologies, including degenerative diseases such as DDD. This review aims to give an overview of the current status of miRNA research in degenerative disc pathology, with a special focus on the involvement of miRNAs in ECM degradation, apoptosis, and inflammation, as well as mechanobiology.

Keywords: ECM; MMP; annulus fibrosus; cartilaginous endplate; degenerative disc disease; miRNA; nucleus pulposus; senescence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The role of microRNAs in the pathology of DDD. The miRNAs listed have been studied for their involvement in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, apoptosis, and inflammation, as well as mechanobiology as an overarching theme, respectively.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Overview of miRNAs associated with increased rates of apoptosis and senescence in DDD. Targets of negative miRNA regulation are shown in ellipses. The dysregulation of miRNAs and subsequently of their targets influence the downstream signaling, ultimately promoting apoptosis and senescence.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Clouet J., Vinatier C., Merceron C., Pot-Vaucel M., Hamel O., Weiss P., Grimandi G., Guicheux J. The intervertebral disc: From pathophysiology to tissue engineering. Jt. Bone Spine. 2009;76:614–618. doi: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2009.07.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Urban J.P., Roberts S. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Arthritis Res. Ther. 2003;5:120–130. doi: 10.1186/ar629. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hadjipavlou A.G., Tzermiadianos M.N., Bogduk N., Zindrick M.R. The pathophysiology of disc degeneration: A critical review. J. Bone Jt. Surg. Br. 2008;90:1261–1270. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.90B10.20910. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Livshits G., Popham M., Malkin I., Sambrook P.N., Macgregor A.J., Spector T., Williams F.M. Lumbar disc degeneration and genetic factors are the main risk factors for low back pain in women: The UK Twin Spine Study. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2011;70:1740–1745. doi: 10.1136/ard.2010.137836. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Maher C., Underwood M., Buchbinder R. Non-specific low back pain. Lancet. 2017;389:736–747. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30970-9. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms