PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Saarang Singh
AU  - Ankur A. Patel
AU  - Jaspal R. Singh
TI  - Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: The Role and Evidence for Non–Stem-Cell-Based Regenerative Therapies
AID  - 10.14444/8055
DP  - 2021 Apr 22
TA  - International Journal of Spine Surgery
PG  - 8055
4099  - http://ijssurgery.com//content/early/2021/04/21/8055.short
4100  - http://ijssurgery.com//content/early/2021/04/21/8055.full
AB  - The use of non–stem cell–based regenerative medicine therapies for lumbar discogenic pain is an area of growing interest. Although the intervertebral disc is a largely avascular structure, cells located within the nucleus pulposus as well as annulus fibrosis could be targeted for regenerative and restorative treatments. Degenerative disc disease is caused by an imbalance of catabolic and anabolic events within the nucleus pulposus. As catabolic processes overwhelm the environment within the nucleus pulposus, proinflammatory cytokines increase in concentration and lead to further disc degeneration. Non–stem cell–based therapies, which include growth factor therapy and other proteins, can lead to an increased production of collagen and proteoglycans within the disc.