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Updated: Jun 17, 2026

A Proinflammatory, Degenerative Organ Culture Model to Simulate Early-Stage Intervertebral Disc Disease.
Published on: February 14, 2021
Matrix metalloproteinase-3 and vitamin d receptor genetic polymorphisms, and their interactions with occupational
Han-Yan Yuan1, Ying Tang, You-Xin Liang
1Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Objectives:
To investigate the occupational and genetic risk factors inducing lumbar disc degeneration in a Chinese population, and to explore their synergistic interactions.
Methods:
A case-control study involving 178 low back pain patients with lumbar disc degeneration and 284 controls was carried out. Five types of work-related factors were investigated using questionnaires. Polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragments length polymorphism was used to detect the polymorphisms of MMP-3 (matrix metalloproteinase-3)(rs731236), VDR-Taq (vitamin D receptor-Taq) and VDR-Apa (vitamin D receptor-Apa)(rs35068180). Rothman's synergy index was used to measure the synergistic interactions between gene polymorphisms and occupational risk factors.
Results:
Family history of lumbar disc diseases, back injury history, whole-body vibration, bending/twisting, heavy physical workload, age, mutation alleles 5A of MMP-3 and A of VDR-Apa were significantly associated with lumbar disc degeneration (OR=12.70, 11.79, 8.96, 5.46, 1.05, 1.96 and 1.70, respectively, p<0.05). Synergistic interactions existed between the mutation allele 5A of MMP-3 and whole-body vibration exposure, the mutation allele 5A of MMP-3 and bending/twisting, and the mutation allele A of VDR-Apa and bending/twisting (SI=13.27, 2.91, 2.35, respectively, p<0.05).
Conclusions:
The results of this study suggest that gene-occupation interaction might play a certain role in exaggerating lumbar disc degeneration. There is a possibility that subjects who carry mutation alleles 5A of MMP-3 and/or A of VDR-Apa are more vulnerable to lumbar disc degeneration when they are exposed to whole-body vibration and/or bending/twisting under ergonomic loads.
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