Acute Vibration Induces Transient Expression of Anabolic Genes in the Murine Intervertebral Disc

Abstract

Objective. Low-amplitude whole-body vibration has been adopted for the treatment of back pain and spinal disorders. However, there is limited knowledge of the impact of vibration on the intervertebral disc (IVD). This study was undertaken to examine the effects of acute vibration on anabolic and catabolic pathways in the IVD and to characterize the dependence of these changes on time and frequency.Methods. Custom-designed platforms were developed to apply acute vibration to ex vivo and in vivo mouse models. Spinal segments (ex vivo) or mice (in vivo) were subjected to vibration (for 30 minutes at 15-90 Hz with peak acceleration at 0.3g), and IVDs were examined at specific time points after vibration. Gene expression was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction, and protein levels were examined by quantitative mass spectrometry and immunofluorescence.Results. In the ex vivo model, acute vibration at 15 Hz induced expression of anabolic genes (aggrecan, biglycan, decorin, type I collagen, and Sox9) and suppressed expression of Mmp13, with the most pronounced changes detected 6 hours following vibration. These beneficial effects were frequency dependent and were no longer evident between 45 and 90 Hz. In vivo, the effects on anabolic gene expression were even more robust and were accompanied by decreased expression of Adamts4, Adamts5, and Mmp3. Moreover, significant increases in the protein levels of aggrecan, biglycan, decorin, and type I collagen were detected in vivo.Conclusion. These findings demonstrate dramatic anabolic effects of acute vibration on IVD tissue, responses that are dependent on frequency. The similarity of the in vivo and ex vivo responses indicates that at least some effects of vibration are tissue autonomous.Back pain is the second most common chronic condition, with a reported lifetime incidence of 84% in industrialized countries (1). Degenerative disc disease is a major cause of back pain and results from changes in the composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) within the intervertebral disc (IVD) (2). The IVD is maintained by specialized cell types that adjust their metabolism, and subsequently ECM composition, in response to external factors including nutritional, genetic, and biomechanical influences (3). The annulus fibrosus (AF) is composed of concentric lamellae formed by parallel bundles of type I collagen fibers, which provide tensile strength. In contrast, the central nucleus pulposus (NP) is composed of an irregular network of type II collagen (4), large aggregating proteoglycans (aggrecan), versican, and small proteoglycans

The effect of local application of low-magnitude high-frequency vibration on the bone healing of rabbit calvarial defects—a pilot study

“…In contrast to other studies, we used LMHFV locally on the calvarial area, while the usual protocol in the earlier experiments was to subject the animal to whole body LMHFV [20, 21]. …”

Repeated Exposure to High‐Frequency Low‐Amplitude Vibration Induces Degeneration of Murine Intervertebral Discs and Knee Joints

“…All procedures were approved by the Council on Animal Care at The University of Western Ontario, in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care. Based on parameters of WBV used in clinical protocols, 10‐week‐old male CD‐1 mice were subjected to vertical sinusoidal vibration at a frequency of 45 Hz, with a peak‐to‐peak amplitude of 74 μm, and peak acceleration at 0.3 g for 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week, for 2 or 4 weeks, using a previously described vibration platform . Age‐matched controls were housed in identical chambers on a sham (nonvibrated) platform to replicate handling and environmental conditions.…”

“…Our recent study using mouse models demonstrated anabolic effects of a single exposure to WBV on the IVD . Therefore, we sought to determine whether the transient changes previously reported would result in long‐term beneficial effects on joint health.…”

Loading-Induced Heat-Shock Response in Bovine Intervertebral Disc Organ Culture

“…Oscillating up- and down-regulation trends with loading and resting suggest that changes in expression of matrix remodeling genes in IVD cells were transient as demonstrated in earlier studies [44–46]. However, the trends of matrix anabolic and catabolic genes were different compared to the mentioned studies due to different models and experimental conditions.…”