Notochordal cell-derived conditioned medium protects human nucleus pulposus cells from stress-induced apoptosis

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) remains without an effective therapy and presents a costly burden to society.

Based upon prior reports concerning the effects of notochordal cell-conditioned medium (NCCM) on disc cells, we performed a proof of principle study to determine whether NCCM could reduce cytotoxic stress-induced apoptosis in human disc nucleus pulposus (NP) cells.

This is an "in vitro" fundamental or basic science study.

Nucleus pulpous cells derived from 15 patients undergoing spinal surgery were treated with interleukin (IL)-1β and Fas ligand or etoposide in the presence of NCCM. We determined pro- or antiapoptotic events using activated caspase assays and determined genomic regulation of apoptosis using polymerase chain reaction arrays validated using Western blotting methods. We interrogated cellular apoptotic regulation using JC-1 dye and flow cytometry and performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to evaluate NP inflammatory cytokine secretion.

Notochordal cell-conditioned medium inhibits cytotoxic stress-induced caspase-9 and -3/7 activities and maintains the mitochondrial membrane potential in human NP cells, thereby suppressing the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Gene expression analysis revealed the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein as a key player responsible for evading etoposide-induced apoptosis in the presence of NCCM, and we verified these data using Western blotting. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results revealed distinct differences in IL-6 and IL-8 secretions by NP cells in response to etoposide in the presence of NCCM.

Here we demonstrate for the first time that NCCM reduces cytotoxic stress-induced apoptosis in human NP cells. Soluble factors present in NCCM could be harnessed for the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of DDD.