Study on inflammatory mechanism of herniated cervical intervertebral discs from patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

Aim To study the inflammatory mechanism of herniatedcervical intervertebral discs from patients with cervical spondyloticmyelopathy, and the roles of the inflammation in the cervical disc degenera-tion and cervical spondylosis. Methods 35 herniated cervical discs wereobtained fron 31 patients with cervical spondylotic myeloyathy during theanterior cervical surgery. 7 normal, nondegenerated cervical discs(controlgroup) were obtained from three fresh cadavers. All discs were divided intotwo samples, one of which was used as histological examination, and theother was used to detect contents of IL-1α. IL-6 and TNF-α biochemi-cally. Results In 35 herniated cervical discs, 18(51% ) were shownabundant inflammatory cell infiltrates in margin of herniated discs; 17(49%) no inflammatory cell infiltrates; normal discs also no any inflam-matory cell infiltrates. Biochemical assay indicated IL-1 α, IL-6 and TNF-αin cervical spondylotic myelopathy was (10.4 ± 1.9), (7.7 ± 2. 1 ) and(7.5 ± 1.7) pg/g respectively and those in noninflammatory infiltrates groupwas (10.2 ± 1.6), (6.7 ± 2.6) and (7.0 ± 1.8) pg/g respectively and thosein the control group was (2.0±0.9), (1.2±1.0) and (1.3±0.8)pg/g.The contents of cytokine IL-1α, IL-6 and TNF-α were obviously higher thanthat of normal discs( P =0. 000 1, t = 11. 359 1, 7. 951 0, 9. 372 8), andthere were no differences in the contents of cytokines between discs withinflammatory cell infiltrates and discs with no inflammatory cell infiltrates(P＞ 0.05, t=0.6120, 2.6204, 1.7394).Conelusion Herniatedcervical disc from the cervical spondylotic myelopathy was inflammatory, andinflammation may play an important role in cervical disc degeneration and inpathogenesis of cervical spondylosis.