Morphologic Changes in Annulus Fibrosus During Aging An Ultrastructural Study in Rats

Postacchini, Franco; Bellocci, M.; Massobrio, M

doi:10.1097/00007632-198409000-00010

Cited by 54 publications

(40 citation statements)

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“…And BMSCs appeared as the similar morphology but with more slender shapes. In addition, the fibroblast-like cell morphology is consistent with cells originating from the AFo area, as described in an earlier study [31]. It should be noted that the AFo represents another potential ISN region that we did not choose as the target site in this study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

The presence of stem cells in potential stem cell niches of the intervertebral disc region: an in vitro study on rats

et al. 2015

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To the best of our knowledge, this is the first in vitro study aimed towards determining the existence and characteristics of ISN-SCs, which belong to the MSC family and with greater osteogenic and chondrogenic abilities than BMSCs according to our data. This finding may be of great significance for additional studies that investigate the migration of ISN-SCs into the IVD, and may provide a new perspective on different biological approaches for IVD self-regeneration.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

The presence of stem cells in potential stem cell niches of the intervertebral disc region: an in vitro study on rats

et al. 2015

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“…Ultrastructure and distribution Ultrastructural studies have described mature elastic fibres in the anulus as having both a central elastin core and surrounding microfibrils [2,7,41,54]. Age-related differences in the ultrastructure of these fibres are consistent with those observed in other tissues; those of young specimens have a less developed central core, with these differences appearing to be more pronounced in the anulus fibrosus than the nucleus pulposus [7].…”

Section: Elastic Fibres In the Non-degenerate Anulus Fibrosusmentioning

confidence: 62%

The elastic fibre network of the human lumbar anulus fibrosus: architecture, mechanical function and potential role in the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration

Smith

Fazzalari

2009

Eur Spine J

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Elastic fibres are critical constituents of dynamic biological structures that functionally require elasticity and resilience. The network of elastic fibres in the anulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc is extensive, however until recently, the majority of histological, biochemical and biomechanical studies have focussed on the roles of other extracellular matrix constituents such as collagens and proteoglycans. The resulting lack of detailed descriptions of elastic fibre network architecture and mechanical function has limited understanding of the potentially important contribution made by elastic fibres to healthy disc function and their possible roles in the progression of disc degeneration. In addition, it has made it difficult to postulate what the consequences of elastic fibre related disorders would be for intervertebral disc behaviour, and to develop treatments accordingly. In this paper, we review recent and historical studies which have examined both the structure and the function of the human lumbar anulus fibrosus elastic fibre network, provide a synergistic discussion in an attempt to clarify its potentially critical contribution both to normal intervertebral disc behaviour and the processes relating to its degeneration, and recommend critical areas for future research.

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“…36,39 Similar to menisci, intervertebral discs also vary in cell phenotype and matrix structure from one region to another. 9,10,31,34 An intervertebral disc consists of an annulus fibrosus ring, a nucleus pulposus core, and 2 endplates. The outer annulus is made up of highly ordered collagen lamellae in which Type I collagen fibers are aligned with elongated fibroblastic cells.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The outer annulus is made up of highly ordered collagen lamellae in which Type I collagen fibers are aligned with elongated fibroblastic cells. 34 The inner annulus differs from the outer section, containing spherical cells, more widely spaced layers, and greater amounts of Type II collagen and proteoglycans. 9,31 The central nucleus, a hydrogel-like tissue, is predominantly composed of proteoglycans and Type II collagen.…”

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confidence: 99%

Ectopic expression of Smurf2 and acceleration of age-related intervertebral disc degeneration in a mouse model

Huang

2017

Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine

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OBJECTIVELumbar intervertebral disc degeneration, an age-related process, is a major cause of low-back pain. Although low-back pain is a very common clinical problem in the aging population, no effective treatment is available, largely owing to lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disc degeneration. The goal of this study was to characterize how ectopic expression of Smurf2 driven by the collagen Type II alpha 1 (Col2a1) promoter alters disc cell phenotype and associated cellular events, matrix synthesis, and gene expression during disc degeneration in mice.METHODSTo characterize how ectopic expression of Smurf2 in Col2a1-promoter working cells affects the disc degeneration process, the authors performed histological and immunohistochemical analysis of lumbar spine specimens harvested from wild-type (WT) and Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic mice at various ages (n ≥ 6 in each age group). To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying Smurf2-mediated disc degeneration, the authors isolated cells from WT and Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic lumbar intervertebral discs and performed Western blot and real-time RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) to examine the protein and mRNA levels of interesting targets.RESULTSThe authors demonstrated that approximately 30% of WT mice at 10–12 months of age had started to show disc degeneration and that the disc degeneration process was accelerated by 3–6 months in Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic mice. Chondrocyte-like cell proliferation, maturation, and fibrotic tissue formation in the inner annulus were often accompanied by fibroblast-to-chondrocyte differentiation in the outer annulus in transgenic discs. The chondrocyte-like cells in transgenic discs expressed higher levels of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) than were expressed in WT counterparts.CONCLUSIONSThe findings that ectopic expression of Smurf2 driven by the Col2a1 promoter accelerated disc degeneration in Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic mice, and that higher levels of CTGF protein and mRNA were present in Col2a1-Smurf2 transgenic discs, indicate that Smurf2 accelerates disc degeneration via upregulation of CTGF.

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Morphologic Changes in Annulus Fibrosus During Aging An Ultrastructural Study in Rats

Cited by 54 publications

References 0 publications

The presence of stem cells in potential stem cell niches of the intervertebral disc region: an in vitro study on rats

The presence of stem cells in potential stem cell niches of the intervertebral disc region: an in vitro study on rats

The elastic fibre network of the human lumbar anulus fibrosus: architecture, mechanical function and potential role in the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration

Ectopic expression of Smurf2 and acceleration of age-related intervertebral disc degeneration in a mouse model

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