Abstract
Introduction
Objective
To observe the effects of halting, reversing degeneration of the intervertebral disc repair or repairing the degenerated intervertebral disc after bone marrow, stromal stem cells were transplanted to the degenerated rat intervertebral disc.
Materials and Methods
Rats aged 2 weeks were selected and sacrificed by breaking the neck. The bone marrow stroma stem cells of the rats were separated, cultured, detected for their adherence rate, growth, and diving. The Wistar rats aged 8 weeks were divided into four groups at random with 15 rats for each group. Each group was further divided into three subgroups with five rats for each subgroup. Experimental animal models were established. The three subgroups of animals were sacrificed at appropriate time, respectively, observed for morphological changes of the intervertebral disc tissue under a light microscope, and immunohistochemically detected for expression of type I collagen in the fibrous rings.
Results
Primary culture and continuous culture indicate that the bone marrow stroma stem cells of the rats have an active proliferation and multiplication capacity. Hematoxylin and eosin staining indicates that group A is the normal group and the intervertebral disc shape is regular during various periods of time; in group B, the intervertebral space becomes narrow and the fibrous rings are arranged irregularly; in group C, the intervertebral space of the specimens is becoming narrow and the fibrous rings are arranged irregularly in an early stage; the histological changes of various periods of time are consistent with that of group B. An immunohistochemical qualitative analysis on the fibrous ring type I collagen indicates that the expression of fibrous ring type I collagen is more in group A and the expression of the fibrous ring type I collagen in group B is decreasing. In group C, the intervertebral disc structure is damaged and the expression of type I collagen in the fibrous rings decreases. In group D, the morphology of the fibrous rings and expression of type I collagen during various periods of time are similar to that of group B indicating that the alginate serves as a carrier for the stem cells and does not play a role in repairing the intervertebral disc.
Conclusion
The degeneration of the intervertebral disc may be delayed or the degenerated intervertebral disc repaired after the bone marrow stromal stem cells are transplanted to the degenerated rat intervertebral disc.
None declared