Sinomenine ameliorates intervertebral disc degeneration via inhibition of apoptosis and autophagy and .

Background: Aberrant apoptosis in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells is the primary cause of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). In contrast, a large number of studies have confirmed that autophagy may protect NP cells from apoptosis. Sinomenine is an alkaloid monomer, which has been reported to stimulate cell autophagy. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of sinomenine on IDD.

Methods: The effects of sinomenine on the proliferation and apoptosis of NP cells were evaluated with the CCK-8 assay and Annexin V/PI staining, respectively.

Results: The data obtained from the present study demonstrated that sinomenine could notably reverse TBHP-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in rat NP cells. In addition, sinomenine significantly induced autophagy in rat NP cells, which was completely inhibited by 3-methyladenine (3MA). In addition, the protective effect of sinomenine against TBHP in rat NP cells was abolished following treatment with 3MA. Finally, an study further confirmed that sinomenine could ameliorate rat IDD.

Conclusion: Taken together, the results of the present study indicated sinomenine could ameliorate rat IDD via induction of autophagy and . These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of sinomenine in the prevention of IDD.