椎间盘变性治疗的新曙光

壮志未酬

New therapeutic hope for degeneratie disc disease
椎间盘变性治疗的新曙光
Study suggests possible role of embryonic cells from the notochord of dogs to regenerate disc cartilage
研究提示源自犬脊索的胚胎细胞对椎间盘软骨有再生作用
Degeneratie disc disease is one of today's most common and costly medical conditions. Marked by the gradual erosion of cartilage between the ertebrae, this destructie disease of the spine routinely prookes low back pain, the leading cause of disability in people under age 45 in the United States. This condition is also confounding: the factors that account for the ulnerability of the disc to degeneration and the limited capacity of the disc for repair remain largely unknown.
椎间盘变性是目前最普遍和治疗花费最多的疾病之一。以椎间软骨的逐渐变性为特征，脊柱的破坏性病变常引发背部疼痛。在美国是导致45岁以下丧失劳动力的首要病因。病情复杂: 椎间盘易于降解变性及修复能力有限的原因还不清。
For some domestic mammals, including sheep, goats, and dogs, the occurrence of degeneratie disc disease is extremely rare. Intrigued by this fact and how it might apply to humans, researchers in Toronto, Canada, decided to conduct a gene expression study on interertebral discs from canines. Their results, presented in the December 2006 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism (), shed light on the regeneratie potential of early embryonic cells within the disc nucleus.
对于一些家畜,如绵羊,山羊和狗,很少发生椎间盘变性。由此如何将其与人类相联系，加拿大多伦多的研究人员决定进行犬椎间盘基因表达研究。结果发表在2006年12月号的关节炎和风湿病杂志上，对椎间盘核内的早期胚胎细胞的再生潜能进行阐述。
The eolutionary precursor to the backbone, the notochord is a fine, flexible chord defining the body axis in the early embryos of all ertebrates. In certain breeds of dogs, notochord cells remain ibrant in the interertebral disc into adulthood. Does the degree of biochemical protection notochord cells proide explain the difference in susceptibility to degeneratie disc disease between canines and humans? For answers, the researchers examined samples of notochord cells from adult dogs, with attention to their effect on the regulation of important genes in chondrocytes, or cells found in cartilage.
脊索是脊椎进化的前体，脊索在所有的脊椎动物胚胎早期起到柔韧轴的作用。在一些犬类，直到成年，椎间盘内的脊索细胞仍活跃。是否脊索细胞的生物化学保护机制提供人和犬间在椎间盘变性易感方面的差别？回答此问题，研究人员检查成年犬的脊索细胞，注意到他们对软骨细胞或软骨内的细胞重要基因表达有调节作用。

What the researchers found was compelling: notochord cells secrete connectie tissue growth factor (CTGF)--a recently characterized protein with multifunctional anabolic properties. CTGF gene expression was also found in cell cultures taken from the interertebral discs of chondrodystrophic canines--dog breeds closer to humans in musculoskeletal terms. But the population of notochord cells was much larger in nonchondrodystrophic dogs. "Our results suggest that nonchondrodystrophic canines are protected against the deelopment of degeneratie disc disease because their discs contain an abundance of notochord cells that secrete a key anabolic factor, CTGF," states the study's senior author, Robert D. Inman, MD, Toronto Western Research Institute. "These findings proide insight into the biology of the interertebral disc," he further notes, "and raise the possibility of future noel therapeutic options for this disabling condition." Robert D. Inman, MD,

研究发现令人关注：脊索细胞分泌结缔组织生长因子(CTGF)—最近定性的蛋白，具有多种合成代谢功能。CTGF基因表达也在来自软骨营养不良犬（饲养接近人类条件）的椎间盘细胞培养中发现。我们结果提示软骨营养不良犬预防发生椎间盘变性，是因为他们的椎间盘存在有大量的脊索细胞分泌关键性合成代谢因子CTGF。加拿大多伦多西部研究所的Robert D. Inman, MD说，这些研究提供了对椎间盘生物功能的深入了解。他进一步提出，可能对将来这种致残疾病提供新治疗方法。
But are there notochor d cells within the mammalian adult spine? And if they do, what distinguishes them from spinal tissue? These are among the critical questions Juergen A. Mollenhauer, PhD, raises in his editorial on the notochord study. As he obseres, the assumption that adult humans do not possess notochord cells may be biased by the lack of inestigations on healthy human spinal discs. "Taken together, the currently known facts eoke hopes for a regeneratie reseroir," Dr. Mollenhauer adds, with a firm emphasis on the need for more research. "Whether notochord cells can be presered or reactiated remains to be resoled in the future."
但是，是否有脊索细胞在**的脊柱中？如果有，如何将他们与脊柱组织区分开？这些是Juergen A. Mollenhauer, PhD在他的关于脊索研究的评论中提到的关键问题。如他所观察，成年人没有脊索细胞的这种假设，可能是因为缺乏对健康**脊索细胞的研究。总之，当前的事实引发对再生的希望。Dr. Mollenhauer接着强调需要进一步的研究。是否脊索细胞能维持或活化仍有待在将来得到解决。

宇宙神

不知猴年马月能研究出来，

关玉门

好消息，永远对未来充满希望。

研究发现令人关注：脊索细胞分泌结缔组织生长因子(CTGF)—最近定性的蛋白，具有多种合成代谢功能。CTGF基因表达也在来自软骨营养不良犬（饲养接近人类条件）的椎间盘细胞培养中发现。我们结果提示软骨营养不良犬预防发生椎间盘变性，是因为他们的椎间盘存在有大量的脊索细胞分泌关键性合成代谢因子 CTGF。加拿大多伦多西部研究所的Robert D. Inman, MD说，这些研究提供了对椎间盘生物功能的深入了解。他进一步提出，可能对将来这种致残疾病提供新治疗方法。