A Review on Cartilaginous Endplates and the Degeneration of Intervertebral Disc

Abstract

Cartilaginous Endplates (CEP) acts as a mechanical barrier and forms the anatomical structure of intervertebral disc. It allows the nutrients to get transported into the disc from the nearby blood vessels. Low back pain is a primary complication raised by Intervertebral Disc Degeneration (IVDD). The objective of the current review article is to provide an overview about the composition and the functions of Cartilaginous Endplates, development and the progression of the IVDD, application of modern techniques for its treatment. CEP primarily contains water, type II collagen, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) while it also has type X collagen. The study provided an overview about the IVDD, causal factors, diagnostic methods and the application of different types of treatment methods. The authors recommend to validate the stem cell-based therapies at clinical levels since such therapies have been proposed and validated so far, only in in vitro and animal models. Further, the study recommends to develop novel diagnostic tools that are not only cost-effective, but also non-invasive by leveraging the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques in the diagnostics methods.