Atomic force microscopy imaging for nanoscale and microscale assessments of extracellular matrix in intervertebral disc and degeneration.

ABSTRACT: Degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is a condition that is often associated with debilitating back pain. There are no disease-modifying treatments available to halt the progression of this ubiquitous disorder. This is partly due to a lack of understanding of extracellular matrix (ECM) changes that occur at the micro- and nanometer size scales as the disease progresses. Over the past decade, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been utilized as a tool to investigate the impact of disease on nanoscale structure of ECM in bone, skin, tendon, and dentin. We have expanded this methodology to include the IVD and report the first quantitative analysis of ECM structure at submicron size scales in a murine model for progressive IVD degeneration. Collagen D-spacing, a metric of nanoscale stru

SUBMITTER: Cauble MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7524250 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature