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Optical Sectioning and Visualization of the Intervertebral Disc from Embryonic Development to Degeneration
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Intervertebral disc herniation effects on multifidus muscle composition and resident stem cell populations
Obiajulu Agha1,2, Andreas Mueller-Immergluck1,2, Mengyao Liu1,2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery University of California San Francisco California USA.
JOR Spine
|July 3, 2020
Summary
Lumbar disc herniation increases fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) and satellite cells (SCs) in the multifidus muscle. These stem cells exhibit altered gene expression, potentially explaining muscle degeneration and guiding future therapeutic strategies.
Area of Science:
- Muscle stem cell biology
- Spine research
- Regenerative medicine
Background:
- Paraspinal muscles, particularly the multifidus, are vital for spinal stability.
- These muscles are susceptible to fatty infiltration, fibrosis, and atrophy in spinal conditions.
- Fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) and satellite cells (SCs) are key stem cell populations involved in muscle health and disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the characteristics and proportions of FAPs and SCs in the multifidus muscle of patients with lumbar disc herniation.
- To compare the multifidus stem cell populations with those found in hamstring muscle as a control.
- To analyze the gene expression profiles of FAPs and SCs from the multifidus.
Main Methods:
- Multifidus muscle samples from disc herniation patients and hamstring muscle from controls were analyzed.
- Histological staining (Oil-Red-O, Masson's trichrome) assessed fatty infiltration and fibrosis.
- Immunostaining and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) quantified FAPs and SCs.
- Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyzed gene expression.
Main Results:
- Multifidus muscle showed significant fatty infiltration (14.2%) and fibrosis (14.8%).
- The multifidus contained substantially higher percentages of FAPs (11.7% vs 1.4%) and SCs (3.4% vs 0.08%) compared to hamstring muscle (P<.001 and P=.002, respectively).
- Multifidus FAPs exhibited increased expression of αSMA and adipogenic genes, while multifidus SCs showed upregulated stem, proliferation, and differentiation genes.
Conclusions:
- Disc herniation alters the multifidus muscle stem cell composition, with increased FAPs and SCs.
- Distinct gene expression profiles in multifidus FAPs and SCs may underlie muscle atrophy and degeneration.
- Understanding these stem cell dynamics offers potential targets for therapeutic interventions to mitigate multifidus degeneration.
Keywords:
atrophyfatty infiltrationfibrosisfibro‐adipogenic progenitorsmultifidusparaspinal musclesatellite cellsMore Related Videos
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