Taurine attenuates ER stress‑associated apoptosis and catabolism in nucleus pulposus cells

Abstract

nucleus pulposus (nP) apoptosis and subsequent excessive degradation of the extracellular matrix (ecM) are key pathological characteristics of intervertebral disc degeneration (idd). The present study aims to examine the signaling processes underlying the effects of taurine on IDD, with specific focus on endoplasmic reticulum (er) stress-mediated apoptosis and ecM degradation, in nP cells. To clarify the role of taurine in idd, nP cells were treated with various concentrations of taurine and il-1β or thapsigargin (TG). cell counting Kit-8, western blotting, TUNEL, immunofluorescence assays and reverse transcription-quantitative Pcr were applied to measure cell viability, the expression of er stress-associated proteins (GrP78, cHoP and caspase-12), apoptosis and the levels of metabolic factors associated with ecM (MMP-1, 3, 9, adaMTS-4, 5 and collagen ii), respectively. Taurine was found to attenuate er stress and prevent apoptosis in nP cells induced by il-1β treatment. Additionally, taurine significantly decreased the expression of er stress-activated glucose regulatory protein 78, c/eBP homologous protein and caspase-12. Tunel results revealed that taurine decreased the number of apoptotic TG-treated nP cells. TG-treated nP cells also exhibited characteristics of increased ecM degradation, supported by observations of increased MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9 and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (adaMTS)-4 and adaMTS-5 expression in addition to decreased collagen-ii expression. However, taurine treatment significantly reversed all indicators of excessive ecM catabolism aforementioned. These data suggest that taurine can mediate protection against apoptosis and ecM degradation in nP cells by inhibiting er stress, implicating therapeutic potential for the treatment of idd.

Lycopene Alleviates Chronic Stress-Induced Liver Injury by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress-Mediated Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Pathway Apoptosis in Rats

“…CHOP and caspase-12 are hallmarks of ERS-related apoptosis . The expression of CHOP and caspase-12 will further promote the expression of their downstream pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 and reduce the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 . The results of this study suggested that CRS induced the expression of CHOP, cleaved caspase-12, cleaved caspase-3, and Bax/Bcl-2 in the liver, indicating that the ERS-associated apoptosis pathway was activated.…”

Panax notoginseng saponin reduces IL-1β-stimulated apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress of nucleus pulposus cells by suppressing miR-222-3p

“…Additionally, previous studies have illuminated that inflammation may be a risk factor for NPC apoptosis and is involved in the process of IDD ( 32 , 33 ). Additionally, ER stress has been determined to be responsible for normal cell metabolism and to provoke the apoptosis of NPCs ( 34 , 35 ). During the process of ER stress, unfolded or misfolded proteins are prone to accumulate in ER, which is referred to as an unfolded protein response ( 36 ).…”

Endoplasmic reticulum stress associates with the development of intervertebral disc degeneration

“…4-PBA can also inhibit high glucose-induced apoptosis by inhibiting ERS in AF cells ( 126 ). TUDCA, a hydrophilic bile acid, has been reported to inhibit ERS-induced catabolism and reduce excessive mechanical compression-stimulated apoptosis in NP cells ( 133 , 134 ). However, due to the poor selectivity, these chaperones usually require high concentrations to be effective, and it still needs further investigation to make the chemical chaperone-based therapeutics available for IDD management.…”