Abstract
Introduction
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has higher expression in degenerated disc tissues, thus be proposed as one of the initiators of causing disc degeneration. However, whether direct induction by TNFα leads to disc degeneration in vivo that has not been studied yet.
Materials and Methods
Two lumbar intervertebral discs in seven pigs were injected by 50 or 100 ng TNFα predisc, and with a third disc remaining intact as a normal control. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including T1-, T2-weighted, T2-weighted 3D, sagittal-T2 mapping, was performed pre- and 3 months postintervention. Serial postcontrast T1-weighted MRI and histology study also performed at the end.
Results
After 3 months, these TNFα injected discs showed degenerative changes, with the percentage of disc height index, nucleus pulposus (NP) area, and NP T2 value lower than the normal controls. Serial postcontrast T1-weighted MRI showed increase diffusion in annulus and nucleus in TNFα injected discs compared with the normal controls. Histology confirmed these intervertebral disc degeneration changes, and found capillaries formation in annulus of TNFα injected discs. No significent difference was found between discs with different dose of TNF.
Conclusion
Intradiscal injection of TNFα lead to disc degeneration, and induce capillary ingrowth to disc in a pocine model.
None declared