Expression of Growth Factors and Cytokines in Patients withDegenerated Disc Disease and Herniated Nucleus Pulposus.

, Moon, Chan Sam; , Lee, Seung Cheol; , Jung, Woon Won; , Sul, Donggeun; , Hong, Young Ki; , Kim, Hyun Sook; , Wang, Joonho; , Lee, Sang Heon

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine 2009;33(3):304-308.

Moon, Chan Sam , Lee, Seung Cheol , Jung, Woon Won , Sul, Donggeun , Hong, Young Ki , Kim, Hyun Sook , Wang, Joonho , Lee, Sang Heon

¹Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sung-Ae Hospital, Korea. spinelee@gmail.com
²Graduate School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Korea.
³Department of Clinical Pathology, College of Health Science, College of Medicine, Korea University, Korea.
⁴Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Korea University, Korea.
⁵Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Korea.

퇴행성 척추질환 및 추간판 탈출증 환자의 싸이토카인과 성장인자 발현

문찬삼^1,2, 이승철², 정운원³, 설동근², 홍영기², 김현숙³, 왕준호^2,4, 이상헌^2,5

¹성애병원 정형외과, ²고려대학교 의학과 대학원, ³고려대학교 보건과학대학 임상병리학교실, 고려대학교 의과대학 ⁴정형외과학교실, ⁵재활의학교실

Abstract

Objective
To investigate the expression of cytokines and growth factors in disc specimens obtained from small numbers of patients with herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) and degenerated disc disease (DDD).
Method
A total of ten human intervertebral disc samples consisted of five painful degenerative discs and five herniated intervertebal discs were obtained from surgery. MRI and Western blot analyses on these disc samples were performed to determine the levels of disc degeneration and the expression levels of cytokines and growth factors.
Results
The levels of IL-6 were significantly greater in the DDD patients than in the HNP patients, but no statistical differences were observed in the expression of IL-1Ղ, IL-8 and TNF-Ձ between the HNP and DDD patients. In addition, the expression of TGF Ղ was significantly higher in the DDD patients than in the HNP patients.
Conclusion
The higher levels of cytokine and growth factor expression in the DDD than in the HNP show why discogenic patients usually have more severe back pain than patients with herniated discs. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2009; 33: 304-308)

Key Words: Herniated nucleus pulposus, Degenerated disc disease, Cytokines, Growth factors