Transcriptomic and Functional Comparison of Cells Isolated From Healthy and Degenerated Ovine Intervertebral Discs.

ABSTRACT: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a leading cause of chronic low back pain, yet its cellular and molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Sheep represent a valuable in vivo and ex vivo model for IVDD due to their anatomical and biomechanical similarities with humans and the possibility to access disc samples at early stages of degeneration. In vitro, isolated annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) cells may provide insights into age-associated degenerative processes; this work investigates how well they capture senescence and metabolic alterations observed in vivo. Transcriptomic profiling of AF and NP cells from healthy young lambs and mildly degenerated aged sheep revealed distinct age- and tissue-specific signatures, with upregulation of inflammatory mediat

SUBMITTER: Humbert P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12825213 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature