Effects of puerarin on the intervertebral disc degeneration and biological characteristics of nucleus pulposus cells

Abstract

Context

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the pathological basis of spinal degenerative diseases. Puerarin (PU) is an isoflavonoid with functions and medicinal properties.

Objective

To explore the effect of PU on IDD and its potential mechanism of action.

Materials and methods

Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into sham, IDD, low PU, and high PU groups. Rat nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) were isolated and divided into control, IL-1β, 100 and 200 μmol/mL PU, TAK-242 (TLR4 inhibitor), or 200 μmol/mL PU + LPS (TLR4 activator) groups. The water content, inflammatory factors, proliferation activity, TLR4/NF-κB pathway activity, apoptosis rate, protein expression of apoptosis, and histology of the extracellular matrix (ECM) were analysed.

Results

In vivo: Compared with the IDD group, disorganization of intervertebral disc tissue was significantly improved, water content (2.80 ± 0.24 mg, 3.91 ± 0.31 mg vs. 2.02 ± 0.21 mg) and expression levels of collagen II and aggrecan were significantly increased, and the levels of inflammatory factors and the expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, and p-p65 were significantly decreased in IDD rats treated with PU. In vitro: Compared with the IL-1β group, the proliferation activity of IL-1β-treated NPCs and the expression of collagen II and aggrecan were significantly increased, while the apoptosis rate, levels of inflammatory factors, and the expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, and p-p65 were significantly decreased in IL-1β-treated NPCs treated with PU. LPS reversed the biological function changes of IL-1β-treated NPCs induced by PU.

Conclusions

PU can delay the progression of IDD by inhibiting activation of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

Keywords:

• Apoptosis
• inflammation
• extracellular matrix
• toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB

Author contributions

Authors in this manuscript have contributed the work below: Song Zhang contributions to the conception or design of the work and the acquisition, analysis, interpretation of data for the work; Xinchang Lu and Tongyu Geng contribution to experiments operation; Hengtao Tang contribution to draft the work and revise it critically for important intellectual content the manuscript final revision.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on request.