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Updated: May 8, 2026

A Proinflammatory, Degenerative Organ Culture Model to Simulate Early-Stage Intervertebral Disc Disease.
Published on: February 14, 2021
Identification of novel nucleus pulposus markers: Interspecies variations and implications for cell-based
R Rodrigues-Pinto1, S M Richardson, J A Hoyland
1University of Manchester, CentreFor Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Inflammationand Repair, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, StopfordBuilding, Oxford Road, ManchesterM13 9PT, UK, and Departmentof Orthopaedics, Centro Hospitalar do Porto- Hospital de Santo António, Largo Prof. AbelSalazar, 4099-001 Porto, Portugal.
Abstract:
Mesenchymal stem-cell based therapies have been proposed as novel treatments for intervertebral disc degeneration, a prevalent and disabling condition associated with back pain. The development of these treatment strategies, however, has been hindered by the incomplete understanding of the human nucleus pulposus phenotype and by an inaccurate interpretation and translation of animal to human research. This review summarises recent work characterising the nucleus pulposus phenotype in different animal models and in humans and integrates their findings with the anatomical and physiological differences between these species. Understanding this phenotype is paramount to guarantee that implanted cells restore the native functions of the intervertebral disc. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2013;2:169-78.
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