Single-nuclei RNA sequencing reveals distinct transcriptomic signatures of rat dorsal root ganglia in a chronic discogenic low back pain model.

ABSTRACT: Chronic low back pain (LBP), often correlated with intervertebral disc degeneration, is a leading source of disability worldwide, yet remains poorly understood. Current treatments often fail to provide sustained relief, highlighting the need to better understand the mechanisms driving discogenic LBP. During disc degeneration, the extracellular matrix degrades, allowing nociceptive nerve fibers to innervate previously aneural disc regions. Persistent mechanical and inflammatory stimulation of nociceptors can induce plastic changes within dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons, characterized by altered gene expression, enhanced excitability, and lowered activation thresholds. Although these transcriptional changes have been described in other pain states, including osteoarthritis, they remain und

SUBMITTER: Caparaso SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12767683 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature