Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Complement membrane attack complexes in pathologic disc tissues.

Mats Grönblad1, Aklilu Habtemariam, Johanna Virri

  • 1Spine Research Unit Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Institute of Surgery, University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Finland. mats.gronblad@hus.fi

Spine
|January 25, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Radiographic Evaluation of a Modular Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) Cage: Subsidence and Segmental Lordosis.

Cureus·2026
Same author

Prospective, Multicenter Study of Two-Level Cervical Arthroplasty With a PEEK-On-Ceramic Cervical Total Disc Replacement: Five-Year Follow-Up.

Spine·2026
Same author

Return to Activity for On- and Off-Label Cervical Arthroplasty Patients: A Multicentered Expert Panel Recommendation.

International journal of spine surgery·2025
Same author

Is Discography Associated With a Higher Rate of Reoperation for Disk-Related Pain 10 to 20 Years Later?

Spine·2025
Same author

Measuring Spine Surgeon Performance: A Scoping Review of Assessment Metrics and Evaluation Methods Used to Assess Surgeon Competency.

Spine·2025
Same author

Intraoperative Conversion of Primary Cervical Total Disc Replacement to Fusion: Incidence and Reasons.

Spine·2025

Complement membrane attack complexes (C5b-9) were found in degenerated and herniated disc tissues, but not in healthy discs. Their presence, particularly in sequestrated herniations, suggests a role in sciatica and disc degeneration.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Orthopedics
  • Pathophysiology

Background:

  • Recent studies suggest immune complexes play a role in intervertebral disc pathophysiology.
  • Immune complexes may trigger complement activation, leading to cell lysis.
  • No prior reports documented complement activation in disc tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of complement activation, specifically complement membrane attack complexes (C5b-9), in disc pathophysiology.
  • To determine if C5b-9 is present in human lumbar spine disc tissues.

Main Methods:

  • Immunohistochemistry was used to locate C5b-9 in lumbar spine disc tissues.
  • Disc tissues from organ donors (control), degenerated discs (DD), and herniated discs (DH) were analyzed.
  • C5b-9 presence was compared across disc types and correlated with pain duration.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • C5b-9 was absent in control discs.
  • C5b-9 was detected in over one-third of both DH (36.2%) and DD (36.4%) tissues.
  • C5b-9 was most prevalent in sequestrated herniations (52.8%) and associated with shorter pain duration.

Conclusions:

  • The presence of C5b-9 in herniated disc tissue, especially sequestrated types, suggests a role in sciatica.
  • C5b-9 may also play an undefined role in degenerated, non-herniated discs, particularly in anulus fibrosus cells.
  • Immune complexes potentially trigger complement activation, leading to C5b-9 formation and disc pathology.