Abstract
Introduction
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder and is the major cause of low back pain. But our comprehension about development of the intervertebral disc (IVD) and pathogenesis of disc degeneration is unclear, which is an obstacle for appropriate therapies.
Materials and Methods
Recently, some reports identified stem/progenitor cells within particular IVD niches and cartilage endplate. These cells together with mesenchymal stem cells are recruited to nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulus fibrosus (AF) to generate regenerative functions in a healthy IVD. The possibility of stimulating these stem cells holds promise for future therapy for DDD. But factors which recruit stem cells to NP and AF are unknown. There are increasing evidences that N-acetylated proline-glycine-proline (N-AC-PGP), which is a degradation fragment of collagen, plays an important role in inflammatory cell recruitment. But whether it presents in IVD and whether it is a chemokine of stem cell have remained elusive.
Results
In this study, we demonstrated the presence of N-AC-PGP in IVD and found the correlation between its content in IVD and degeneration grade of IVD. Then we described the generation pathway of N-AC-PGP in IVD. At last, we demonstrated that N-AC-PGP can recruit cartilage endplate stem cells (CESC) by binding with CXC receptors 2 on CESC.
Conclusion
These findings reveal a possible regeneration mechanism in IVD, which depends on the chemotaxis of N-AC-PGP for CESC and indicate a new therapy by using N-AC-PGP to stimulate stem cells in IVD.
None declared