Transport Properties of the Human Cartilage Endplate in Relation to Its Composition and Calcification

Roberts, S.; Urban, Jill; Evans, Helena; Eisenstein, Stephen M.

doi:10.1097/00007632-199602150-00003

Cited by 341 publications

(302 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…During degeneration, the endplates calcify and become sclerotic [8,57,58]. Although the hypothesis of an endochondral ossification process in the cartilaginous endplate related to changes in load transfer from the NP to the AF is, as yet, unproven, it does have several biomechanical consequences; for example, significantly less flexible endplates that are prone to fracture, altered load transfer to vertebrae and reduced water and solute exchange between the disc and the vertebrae.…”

Section: Structural Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ageing and degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc and their impact on spinal flexibility

et al. 2014

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Purpose Degeneration of the intervertebral disc is associated with various morphological changes of the disc itself and of the adjacent structures, such as reduction of the water content, collapse of the intervertebral space, disruption and tears, and osteophytes. These morphological changes of the disc are linked to alterations of the spine flexibility. This paper aims to review the literature about the ageing and degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc and their link with alterations in spinal biomechanics, with emphasis on flexibility. Methods Narrative literature review. Results Clinical instability of the motion segment, usually related to increased flexibility and hypothesized to be connected to early, mild disc degeneration and believed to be responsible for low back pain, was tested in numerous in vitro studies. Despite some disagreement in the findings, a trend toward spinal stiffening with the increasing degeneration was observed in most studies. Tests about tears and fissures showed inconsistent results, as well as for disc collapse and dehydration. Vertebral osteophytes were found to be effective in stabilizing the spine in bending motions. Conclusions The literature suggests that the degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc and surrounding structures lead to subtle alteration of the mechanical properties of the functional spinal unit. A trend toward spinal stiffening with the increasing degeneration has been observed in most studies.

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Section: Structural Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ageing and degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc and their impact on spinal flexibility

et al. 2014

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“…It functions both as a mechanical barrier between the pressurized NP and the vertebral bone, as well as a gateway for nutrient transport into the disc from adjacent blood vessels [9][10][11][12]. With intervertebral disc degeneration, the CEP becomes sclerotic, loses vascular contact, and exhibits decreased permeability [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. This process is considered to contribute to disc degeneration by reducing the diffusion of nutrients to the cells of the NP [6,[20][21][22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of intervertebral disc cartilaginous endplate structure using magnetic resonance imaging

et al. 2013

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Purpose The cartilaginous endplate (CEP) is a thin layer of hyaline cartilage positioned between the vertebral endplate and nucleus pulposus (NP) that functions both as a mechanical barrier and as a gateway for nutrient transport into the disc. Despite its critical role in disc nutrition and degeneration, the morphology of the CEP has not been well characterized. The objective of this study was to visualize and report observations of the CEP three-dimensional morphology, and quantify CEP thickness using an MRI FLASH (fast low-angle shot) pulse sequence. Methods MR imaging of ex vivo human cadaveric lumbar spine segments (N = 17) was performed in a 7T MRI scanner with sequence parameters that were selected by utilizing highresolution T1 mapping, and an analytical MRI signal model to optimize image contrast between CEP and NP. The CEP thickness at five locations along the mid-sagittal AP direction (center, 5 mm, 10 mm off-center towards anterior and posterior) was measured, and analyzed using two-way ANOVA and a post hoc Bonferonni test. For further investigation, six in vivo volunteers were imaged with a similar sequence in a 3T MRI scanner. In addition, decalcified and undecalcified histology was performed, which confirmed that the FLASH sequence successfully detected the CEP. Results CEP thickness determined by MRI in the midsagittal plane across all lumbar disc levels and locations was 0.77 ± 0.24 mm ex vivo. The CEP thickness was not different across disc levels, but was thinner toward the center of the disc. Conclusions This study demonstrates the potential of MRI FLASH imaging for structural quantification of the CEP geometry, which may be developed as a technique to evaluate changes in the CEP with disc degeneration in future applications.

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“…Therefore, many researchers believe that CEP degeneration plays a crucial role in the initiation and development of degenerative disc disease (DDD) [4][5][6]. CEP degeneration includes many changes such as calcification of the CEP [7], depletion of proteoglycans from the CEP [8] and altered matrix synthesis [9]. Simultaneously, CEP degeneration is always accompanied by a loss of cellularity, possibly secondary to cell apoptosis [10][11][12], the identification of the cellular types in degenerated CEP is important for understanding the exact degeneration mechanism of CEP.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study to determine the presence of progenitor cells in the degenerated human cartilage endplates

Huang

Liu

et al. 2011

Eur Spine J

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Introduction Cartilage endplate (CEP) degeneration is usually accompanied by loss of cellularity, and this loss may be a crucial key factor in initiation and development of degenerative disc disease. The study of cell types in degenerated CEP could help in understanding CEP etiopathogenesis, and may help in devising new treatments, especially if the presence of progenitor cells could be demonstrated. The aim of this study was to determine if progenitor cells existed in degenerated human CEP. Materials and methods Cells isolated from CEP were cultured in a three-dimensional agarose suspension to screen for proliferative cell clusters. Cell clusters were then expanded in vitro and the populations were analyzed for colony forming unit, immunophenotype, multilineage induction, and expression of stem cell-related genes. Results The presence of progenitor cells in degenerated human CEP is indicated by the results of CFU, immunophenotype, multilineage induction, and expression of stem cell-related genes. Conclusions We believe that this is the first study which has conclusively shown the presence of progenitor cells in degenerated CEP. The finding of this study may influence the clinical management of degenerative disc disorder.

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Transport Properties of the Human Cartilage Endplate in Relation to Its Composition and Calcification

Cited by 341 publications

References 20 publications

Ageing and degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc and their impact on spinal flexibility

Ageing and degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc and their impact on spinal flexibility

Evaluation of intervertebral disc cartilaginous endplate structure using magnetic resonance imaging

Study to determine the presence of progenitor cells in the degenerated human cartilage endplates

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