“…These etiologic factors initiate the process of IDD mediated by the aberrant production of pro-inflammatory cytokines secreted by NP cells, annulus fibrosus (AF) cells, and infiltrated immune cells [44,45,46]. Pro-inflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, and various chemokines [47,48,49,50,51,52], induce autophagy, senescence or apoptosis of IVD cells [37,53,54,55,56,57,58]; decreased extracellular matrix (ECM) production [59,60]; and increased production of ECM degradative enzymes [61,62].…”