Transplantation of allogenic nucleus pulposus cells attenuates intervertebral disc degeneration by inhibiting apoptosis and increasing migration

Wang,Weiheng; Deng,Guoying; Qiu,Yuanyuan; Huang,Xiaodong; Xi,Yanhai; Yu,Jiangming; Yang,Xiangqun; Ye,Xiaojian

doi:10.3892/ijmm.2018.3454

Transplantation of allogenic nucleus pulposus cells attenuates intervertebral disc degeneration by inhibiting apoptosis and increasing migration

Authors:
- Weiheng Wang
- Guoying Deng
- Yuanyuan Qiu
- Xiaodong Huang
- Yanhai Xi
- Jiangming Yu
- Xiangqun Yang
- Xiaojian Ye
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Affiliations: Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, P.R. China, Trauma Center, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 201620, P.R. China, Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Electric Power Hospital, Shanghai 200050, P.R. China, Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
Published online on: February 2, 2018 https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3454
Pages: 2553-2564
Copyright: © Wang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Transplantation of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) into the intervertebral disc (IVD) has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment of degenerative disc disease (DDD). However, the underlying mechanisms have remained to be sufficiently elucidated. The aim of the present study was to explore the potential cell migration and anti‑apoptosis efficacy of NPCs in the treatment of DDD. NPCs cultured from rats expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP‑NPCs) were transplanted into the degenerated IVD, and the migration of GFP‑NPCs, as well as the degeneration and apoptosis of the IVD were detected to evaluate the therapeutic effect in vivo. In vitro, disc chondrocytes (DCs) and annulus fibrosus cells (AFCs) were co‑cultured to explore the underlying mechanism. The results demonstrated that injection of NPCs suppressed DDD by inhibiting apoptosis and increasing extracellular matrix in vivo and in vitro. NPCs migrated into the inner AF in vivo, and NPC migration was observed to be promoted by AFCs and DCs in vitro, particularly by damaged AFCs. These results demonstrated the anti‑apoptotic effects and migratory capacity of allogenic NPCs transplanted into the IVD, which evidences the contribution of NPCs to disc regeneration and provide a novel strategy for treating DDD.

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