Science and Technology Daily (reporter Zhang Qiang, correspondent Wang Zefeng) Intervertebral disc degeneration is one of the main causes of chronic low back pain.
Data show that the overall prevalence of chronic low back pain in China is 27.6% and is getting younger.
On February 27, reporters learned from the Naval Medical University that the team of Professor Shi Jiangang of the Orthopedics Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of the school (Shanghai Changzheng Hospital) and the team of Professor Chen Yu of Shanghai University have made breakthroughs in the field of intervertebral disc degeneration treatment.
The study revealed the role of redox homeostasis imbalance in the key mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration, and innovatively proposed a new method to reshape the redox microenvironment of the intervertebral disc using carbon dot nanozymes (MCDs).
The research results were recently published online in the international journal "Advanced Materials".
In previous studies, the team found that the degenerated nucleus pulposus tissue of the intervertebral disc will produce excessive oxygen free radicals, which far exceeds the intracellular reducing capacity and can easily cause oxidative damage to mitochondria and other organelles of the nucleus pulposus cells.
Oxidatively damaged mitochondrial DNA and respiratory enzymes further aggravate mitochondrial dysfunction and form a vicious cycle, ultimately leading to pyroptosis of nucleus pulposus cells.
Therefore, accurately reshaping the homeostasis of the intervertebral disc redox microenvironment and inhibiting the occurrence of nucleus pulposus cell pyroptosis is a new idea for the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration.
In this regard, Shi Jiangang's team innovatively developed a new material called manganese-doped MCDs.
In in vitro experiments, the researchers found that the presence of manganese in the new material significantly enhanced the simulated activity of MCDs to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) enzymes compared with metal-free carbon dots.
MCDs exhibit good mitochondrial targeting ability, significantly protect the respiratory function of mitochondria, avoid oxidative stress damage, and maintain the metabolic balance of the extracellular matrix of the nucleus pulposus.
In terms of biological mechanisms, both in vivo and in vitro experiments have confirmed that MCDs can inhibit pyroptosis of nucleus pulposus cells under oxidative stress and significantly delay the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration.
It is reported that the team has long been committed to basic and clinical research on spinal degeneration-related diseases, especially bowstring disease.
This innovative treatment method is expected to provide a new solution for precise targeted treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration.