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

本研究的目的是检测Wnt信号是否促进髓核细胞血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)的表达。在常氧和低氧条件下培养大鼠髓核细胞，检测Wnt信号和血管内皮生长因子的表达及启动子活性。髓核细胞在低氧条件下表现出β-连环素的mRNA和蛋白表达增加。与WT-β-catenin表达载体或Si-β-catenin共表达的髓核细胞，或经不同浓度的BIO处理后，其血管内皮生长因子(V5-Luc)活性呈剂量依赖性增加。然后检测BIO处理后血管内皮生长因子mRNA的相对表达水平。免疫印迹分析蛋白质表达。与未处理的细胞相比，BIO处理后髓核细胞的总β-连环蛋白水平升高的程度更大。

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.