AI Article Synopsis
- The intervertebral disc (IVD) consists of two main parts: the nucleus pulposus (NP) and the annulus fibrosus (AF), both of which lack a blood supply.
- VEGF-A, a growth factor, is found to be highly expressed in the NP and is important for its cell survival, especially under low oxygen (hypoxic) conditions.
- The study indicates that NP cells respond to their hypoxic environment by producing VEGF-A, which helps prevent cell death, suggesting that the NP can sustain itself despite being avascular.
Article Abstract
The intervertebral disc (IVD) is composed of two avascular tissue types, the nucleus pulposus (NP) and the annulus fibrosus (AF). IVDs is the largest avascular tissue in the human body, however, how these tissues are maintained without a blood supply is poorly understood. Here we show that vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is highly expressed in NP and that VEGF-A plays a role in NP survival. High VEGF-A expression in NP was detected by microarray analysis, and NP was positive for the hypoxic probe pimonidazole and hypoxia-responsive genes. VEGF-A expression in NP was promoted by hypoxic conditions in vitro. NP cells also expressed the membrane-bound VEGF receptor-1 (VEGFR-1), and the number of apoptotic cells in cultured cell model of NP increased following treatment with VEGFR-1-Fc, which traps VEGF-A in NP. These results indicate that NP is a hypoxic tissue, and that VEGF-A functions in NP survival in an autocrine/paracrine manner.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2008.05.044 | DOI Listing |
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