椎间盘退变与细胞死亡的相关研究进展

腰椎间盘退行性变被认为是临床下腰痛的重要原因,其分子机制尚未明确.近年来,椎间盘退变的分子基础研究已经成为热门.椎间盘独特的生理结构和生物力学特性导致了它易于退变的特点.椎间盘退变开始与椎间盘细胞学行为的改变有关,包括细胞死亡的增加和细胞外基质的降解.然而,在退变椎间盘中的细胞死亡机制仍不明确,主要包括细胞凋亡和自噬.对椎间盘退变分子机制的深入研究能够为将来进一步改善和治疗椎闻盘退变打下基础.虽然椎间盘退变的生物学研究方面已经取得了一定的进展,但是椎间盘本身的生物环境对生物学治疗的发展仍具有挑战性.

Research advance on intervertebral disc degeneration and cell death

Intervertebral disc degeneration is considered as a primary cause of clinical low back pain,however the molecular mechanism is not clear yet. Recently,researches on the molecular basis of intervertebral disc degeneration have become a hotspot. The special structure and biomechanics properties of the disc contribute to its propensity toward degeneration. Intervertebral disc degeneration is associated with the changes of the cytological behavior,including the increase in cell death and the degradation of extracellular matrix. However,the mechanism of cell death including cell apoptosis and autophagy in intervertebral disc degeneration remains unclear. Further study on the molecular mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration is the foundation of improving and treating the intervertebral disc degeneration in the future. Although some progresses are made in the aspect of biological study, the biological environment of intervertebral disc itself is still a challenge for the development of biological treatment. This article is to review the latest advance on the biological characteristics of normal intervertebral disc and the cell death in the process of the intervertebral disc degeneration.