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 Aug;34(8):9854-9868.
doi: 10.1096/fj.202000635R. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Ligamentum flavum fibrosis and hypertrophy: Molecular pathways, cellular mechanisms, and future directions

Chao Sun  1 , Han Zhang  1 , Xiang Wang  1 , Xinhui Liu  1
Affiliations
Review

Ligamentum flavum fibrosis and hypertrophy: Molecular pathways, cellular mechanisms, and future directions

Chao Sun et al. FASEB J. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Hypertrophy of ligamentum flavum (LF), along with disk protrusion and facet joints degeneration, is associated with the development of lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS). Of note, LF hypertrophy is deemed as an important cause of LSCS. Histologically, fibrosis is proved to be the main pathology of LF hypertrophy. Despite the numerous studies explored the mechanisms of LF fibrosis at the molecular and cellular levels, the exact mechanism remains unknown. It is suggested that pathophysiologic stimuli such as mechanical stress, aging, obesity, and some diseases are the causative factors. Then, many cytokines and growth factors secreted by LF cells and its surrounding tissues play different roles in activating the fibrotic response. Here, we summarize the current status of detailed knowledge available regarding the causative factors, pathology, molecular and cellular mechanisms implicated in LF fibrosis and hypertrophy, also focusing on the possible avenues for anti-fibrotic strategies.

Keywords: TGF-β1; extracellular matrix; fibroblasts; fibrosis; ligamentum flavum.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Splettstößer A, Khan MF, Zimmermann B, et al. Correlation of lumbar lateral recess stenosis in magnetic resonance imaging and clinicalsymptoms. World J Radiol. 2017;9:223-229.
    1. Shah M, Kolb B, Yilmaz E, Halalmeh DR, Moisi MD. Comparison of lumbar laminectomy alone, lumbar laminectomy and fusion, stand-alone anterior lumbar interbody fusion, and stand-alone lateral lumbar interbody fusion for treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis: a review of the literature. Cureus. 2019;11:e5691.
    1. Szpalski M, Gunzburg R. Lumbar spinal stenosis in the elderly: an overview. Eur Spine J. 2003;12:S170-S175.
    1. Siebert E, Prüss H, Klingebiel R, Failli V, Einhäupl KM, Schwab JM. Lumbar spinal stenosis: syndrome, diagnostics and treatment. Nat Rev Neurol. 2009;5(7):392-403.
    1. Lee SY, Kim TH, Oh JK, Lee SJ, Park MS. Lumbar stenosis: a recent update by review of literature. Asian Spine J. 2015;9:818-828.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources