Detection of apoptosis and matrical degeneration within the intervertebral discs of rats due to passive cigarette smoking

Although low-back pain is considered to be associated with cigarette smoking, the influence of cigarette smoking on the intervertebral discs (IVD) has not been confirmed. We established a rat model of passive cigarette smoking-induced IVD degeneration, and investigated the cytohistological changes i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2019-08, Vol.14 (8), p.e0218298-e0218298
Main Authors: Nakahashi, Masahiro, Esumi, Mariko, Tokuhashi, Yasuaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggrecan
Aging
Animals
Apoptosis
Apoptosis - drug effects
Back pain
Biochemistry
Biology and Life Sciences
Blood flow
Cartilage
Chondrocytes
Chondrocytes - cytology
Chondrocytes - drug effects
Cigarette smoking
Cigarette Smoking - adverse effects
Cigarettes
Circadian rhythm
Collagen
Collagen (type II)
Degeneration
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Diagnosis
DNA
EDTA
Elastica
End plates
Extracellular matrix
Extracellular Matrix - drug effects
Extracellular Matrix - metabolism
Gene expression
Genes
Health aspects
Hypoxia
Intervertebral Disc - cytology
Intervertebral discs
Intervertebral disk
Low back pain
Male
Medicine
Medicine and Health Sciences
Nicotine
Nucleus pulposus
Pain
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reduction
Research and Analysis Methods
Smoking
Social Sciences
Staining
Tobacco Smoke Pollution - adverse effects
Vertebra
Vertebrae
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Summary:Although low-back pain is considered to be associated with cigarette smoking, the influence of cigarette smoking on the intervertebral discs (IVD) has not been confirmed. We established a rat model of passive cigarette smoking-induced IVD degeneration, and investigated the cytohistological changes in the IVD and the accompanying changes in gene expression. IVD from rats exposed to 8 weeks of passive cigarette smoking were stained with Elastica van Gieson, and exhibited marked destruction of the supportive structure of the reticular matrix in the nucleus pulposus (NP). Positive signals on safranin O, alcian blue, type II collagen and aggrecan staining were decreased in the destroyed structure. Safranin O and type II collagen signals were also decreased in the cartilage end-plate (CEP) after 4- and 8-weeks of cigarette smoking. In the CEP, the potential for apoptosis was increased significantly, as demonstrated by staining for single-strand DNA. However, there were no signs of apoptosis in the NP or annulus fibrosus cells. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that passive cigarette smoking-induced stress stimuli first affect the CEP through blood flow due to the histological proximity, thereby stimulating chondrocyte apoptosis and reduction of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This leads to reduction of the ECM in the NP, destroying the NP matrix, which can then progress to IVD degeneration.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0218298