Oral Citrate Supplementation Mitigates Age-Associated Pathologic Intervertebral Disc Calcification in LG/J Mice.

ABSTRACT: Despite the high prevalence of age-dependent intervertebral disc calcification, there is a glaring lack of treatment options for this debilitating pathology. We investigated the efficacy of long-term oral K₃Citrate supplementation in ameliorating disc calcification in LG/J mice, a model of spontaneous age-associated disc calcification. K₃Citrate reduced the incidence of disc calcification without affecting the vertebral bone structure, knee calcification, plasma chemistry, or locomotion in LG/J mice. Notably, a positive effect on grip strength was evident in treated mice. FTIR spectroscopy of the persisting calcified nodules indicated K₃Citrate did not alter the mineral composition. Mechanistically, activation of an endochondral differentiation in the carti

SUBMITTER: Ottone OK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12073913 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature