Intervertebral disc degeneration and possibilities of tissue engineering

Abstract

Objective – to study the role of different structures of the intervertebral disc in its degeneration, as well as the possibilities of tissue engineering in the treatment of this disease. The most common clinical manifestation of intervertebral disc degeneration is back pain, which is often associated with the early disability of patients. Histological examination of intervertebral disc remains the most reliable method for diagnosing and studying the processes of its degeneration. The review considers a violation of the disc metabolism due to morphological changes in its structural components as a trigger for this process. It is shown that disc microcirculation disorders cause a change in the structure of the nucleus pulposus (fibrotization) and its extracellular matrix, which results in the disc destruction. The use of autologous disc-derived cells cultured in vitro and stem cells with their subsequent implantation can replenish the cell deficit and restore the structure of the matrix.

Keywords

• intervertebral disc
• endplate
• matrix
• angiogenesis
• progenitor cells