Molecular Detection and Assessment of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration via a Collagen Hybridizing Peptide.

ABSTRACT: During aging, wear, and tear of intervertebral discs, human discs undergo a series of morphological and biochemical changes. Degradation of extracellular matrix proteins, e.g., collagen, arises as an important contributor and accelerator in this process. Existing methods to detect collagen degradation at the tissue level include histology and immunohistochemistry. Unfortunately, most of these methods only depict overall collagen content without the ability to specifically discern degraded collagen and to assess the severity of degeneration. To fill this technological gap, we developed a robust and simple approach to detect and assess early disc degeneration with a collagen hybridizing peptide (CHP) that hybridizes with the flawed triple helix structure in degraded collagen. Intriguingly, t

SUBMITTER: Xiao L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6884327 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature