Pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration and functional analysis of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the intervertebral disc

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The goals of this study were to examine whether Wnt signaling accelerates vascular endotherial growth factor (VEGF) expression of nucleus pulposus cells. Rat nucleus pulposus cells were cultured under normoxic or hypoxic conditions, and the expression and promoter activity of Wnt signaling and VEGF were evaluated. Nucleus pulposus cells exhibited increased beta-catenin mRNA and protein under the hypoxic condition. Nucleus pulposus cells cotransfected with the WT-beta-catenin expression plasmid or Si-beta-catenin expression, or treated with a different concentration of BIO, showed a dose-dependent increase in the activity of VEGF (V5-luc). We next measured the relative expression level of VEGF mRNA after the treatment of BIO. We analyzed protein expression with western-blot. Total beta-catenin level after the treatment of BIO increased to a greater extent in nucleus pulposus cells compared with untreated cells.