Bovine explant model of degeneration of the intervertebral disc

<p style="text-align:justify;"> <b>Background:</b> Many new treatments for degeneration of the intervertebral disc are being developed which can be delivered through a needle. These require testing in model systems before being used in human patients. Unfortunately, beca...

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Main Authors: Roberts, S, Menage, J, Sivan, S, Urban, J
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: BioMed Central 2008
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author Roberts, S
Menage, J
Sivan, S
Urban, J
author_facet Roberts, S
Menage, J
Sivan, S
Urban, J
author_sort Roberts, S
collection OXFORD
description <p style="text-align:justify;"> <b>Background:</b> Many new treatments for degeneration of the intervertebral disc are being developed which can be delivered through a needle. These require testing in model systems before being used in human patients. Unfortunately, because of differences in anatomy, there are no ideal animal models of disc degeneration. Bovine explant model systems have many advantages but it is not possible to inject any significant volume into an intact disc. Therefore we have attempted to mimic disc degeneration in an explant bovine model via enzymatic digestion.<br/><br/> <b>Methods:</b> Bovine coccygeal discs were incubated with different concentrations of the proteolytic enzymes, trypsin and papain, and maintained in culture for up to 3 weeks. A radio-opaque solution was injected to visualise cavities generated. Degenerative features were monitored histologically and biochemically (water and glycosaminoglycan content, via dimethylmethylene blue).<br/><br/> <b>Results and Conclusion:</b> The central region of both papain and trypsin treated discs was macro- and microscopically fragmented, with severe loss of metachromasia. The integrity of the surrounding tissue was mostly in tact with cells in the outer annulus appearing viable. Biochemical analysis demonstrated greatly reduced glycosaminoglycan content in these compared to untreated discs. We have shown that bovine coccygeal discs, treated with proteolytic enzymes can provide a useful in vitro model system for developing and testing potential new treatments of disc degeneration, such as injectable implants or biological therapies. </p>
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spelling oxford-uuid:1df6f59e-8502-40ba-9b47-f8c2750acb112022-03-26T11:13:48ZBovine explant model of degeneration of the intervertebral discJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:1df6f59e-8502-40ba-9b47-f8c2750acb11EnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordBioMed Central2008Roberts, SMenage, JSivan, SUrban, J <p style="text-align:justify;"> <b>Background:</b> Many new treatments for degeneration of the intervertebral disc are being developed which can be delivered through a needle. These require testing in model systems before being used in human patients. Unfortunately, because of differences in anatomy, there are no ideal animal models of disc degeneration. Bovine explant model systems have many advantages but it is not possible to inject any significant volume into an intact disc. Therefore we have attempted to mimic disc degeneration in an explant bovine model via enzymatic digestion.<br/><br/> <b>Methods:</b> Bovine coccygeal discs were incubated with different concentrations of the proteolytic enzymes, trypsin and papain, and maintained in culture for up to 3 weeks. A radio-opaque solution was injected to visualise cavities generated. Degenerative features were monitored histologically and biochemically (water and glycosaminoglycan content, via dimethylmethylene blue).<br/><br/> <b>Results and Conclusion:</b> The central region of both papain and trypsin treated discs was macro- and microscopically fragmented, with severe loss of metachromasia. The integrity of the surrounding tissue was mostly in tact with cells in the outer annulus appearing viable. Biochemical analysis demonstrated greatly reduced glycosaminoglycan content in these compared to untreated discs. We have shown that bovine coccygeal discs, treated with proteolytic enzymes can provide a useful in vitro model system for developing and testing potential new treatments of disc degeneration, such as injectable implants or biological therapies. </p>
spellingShingle Roberts, S
Menage, J
Sivan, S
Urban, J
Bovine explant model of degeneration of the intervertebral disc
title Bovine explant model of degeneration of the intervertebral disc
title_full Bovine explant model of degeneration of the intervertebral disc
title_fullStr Bovine explant model of degeneration of the intervertebral disc
title_full_unstemmed Bovine explant model of degeneration of the intervertebral disc
title_short Bovine explant model of degeneration of the intervertebral disc
title_sort bovine explant model of degeneration of the intervertebral disc
work_keys_str_mv AT robertss bovineexplantmodelofdegenerationoftheintervertebraldisc
AT menagej bovineexplantmodelofdegenerationoftheintervertebraldisc
AT sivans bovineexplantmodelofdegenerationoftheintervertebraldisc
AT urbanj bovineexplantmodelofdegenerationoftheintervertebraldisc