Phototherapy suppresses inflammation in human nucleus pulposus cells for intervertebral disc degeneration.

The etiology of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration accompanied by low back pain (LBP) is largely unknown, and there are no curative therapies. Painful IVD degeneration is associated with infiltrated macrophage-mediated inflammatory response of human nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. The present study aimed to address the hypothesis that pro-inflammatory cytokines derived from macrophages lead to the altered molecular phenotype of human NP cells and to investigate the effects of phototherapy (630, 525, 465 nm with 16, 32, 64 J/cm2) on pain-related cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 and chemokine IL-8 under inflammatory conditions in human NP cells. Human NP cells were treated with soluble factors derived from macrophages in an inflammatory microenvironment, similar to that found in degenerative IVD. Human NP cells were also treated with phototherapy (630, 525, 465 nm with 16, 32, 64 J/cm2), and their cytokine and chemokine levels were detected. The soluble factors caused modulated expression of IL-6, IL-8, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) at the gene and protein levels, causing a shift toward matrix catabolism through the expression of MMPs and increased pain-related factors via preferential activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p50 protein. Importantly, phototherapy attenuated the protein and gene expression of pain-related factor IL-6 at all doses and wavelengths. Interestingly, phototherapy also modulated the protein and gene expression of IL-8, which is responsible for the anabolic response, at a wavelength of 465 nm at all doses, in human NP cells. These findings suggested that phototherapy, at an optimal dose and wavelength, might be a useful therapeutic tool to treat IVD degeneration.

Photobiomodulation on human annulus fibrosus cells during the intervertebral disk degeneration: extracellular matrix-modifying enzymes.

Destruction of extracellular matrix (ECM) leads to degeneration of the intervertebral disk (IVD), which is a major contributor to many spine disorders. IVD degeneration is induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), which are secreted by immune cells, including macrophages and neutrophils. The cytokines modulate ECM-modifying enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in human annulus fibrosus (AF) cells. The resulting imbalance in catabolic and anabolic enzymes can cause generalized back, neck, and low back pain (LBP). Photobiomodulation (PBM) is known to regulate inflammatory responses and wound healing. The aim of this study was to mimic the degenerative IVD microenvironment, and to investigate the effect of a variety of PBM conditions (wavelength: 635, 525, and 470 nm; energy density: 16, 32, and 64 J/cm(2)) on the production of ECM-modifying-enzymes by AF cells under degenerative conditions induced by macrophage-conditioned medium (MCM), which contains pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-ß secreted by macrophage during the development of intervertebral disk inflammation. We showed that the MCM-stimulated AF cells express imbalanced ratios of TIMPs (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) and MMPs (MMP-1 and MMP-3). PBM selectively modulated the production of ECM-modifying enzymes in AF cells. These results suggest that PBM can be a therapeutic tool for degenerative IVD disorders.

Enhancement of Mechanical Properties and Testing of Nitinol Stents in Cerebral Aneurysm Simulation Models.

Stents are promising medical devices widely used in the prevention of cerebral aneurysm rupture. As the performance of stents depends on their mechanical properties and cell configuration, the aim of this study was to optimize the stent design and test the hemodynamic properties by using computational solid mechanics and computational fluid dynamics. In order to test their performance, computer-based cerebral aneurysm models that mimic the conditions present after implantation into the human brain were tested. The strut configuration selected was the closed-cell type, and nitinol was chosen as the material for stent manufacture because the innate characteristics of this material increase stent flexibility. Three ideal sample stent types with different cell configurations were manufactured. Computational solid mechanics analysis of the sample stents showed over 30% difference in flexibility between stents. Furthermore, using a cerebral aneurysm model simulation, we found that the stents eased the hemodynamic factors of the cerebral aneurysm and lessened the flow velocity influx into the sac. A decrease in flow velocity led to a 50-60% reduction in wall shear stress, which is expected to prevent aneurysm rupture under clinical conditions. Stent design optimization was carried out by simulation and electropolishing. Corrosion resistance and surface roughness were evaluated after electropolishing performed under variable conditions, but 40 V and 10 s were the most optimal.

Photobiomodulation of extracellular matrix enzymes in human nucleus pulposus cells as a potential treatment for intervertebral disk degeneration.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is associated with imbalances between catabolic and anabolic responses, regulated by extracellular matrix (ECM)-modifying enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their endogenous tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Potential contributing factors, such as interleukin (IL)-1ß and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, derived from infiltrated, activated macrophages within IVD tissues, can trigger abnormal production of ECM-modifying enzymes and progression of IVD degeneration. Novel therapies for regulating ECM-modifying enzymes can prevent or ameliorate IVD degeneration. Photobiomodulation (PBM), known to regulate wound repair, exhibits regenerative potential by modulating biological molecules. This study examined the effects of PBM, administered at various wavelengths (630, 525, and 465 nm) and energy densities (16, 32, and 64 J/cm2), on the production of ECM-modifying enzymes in replicated degenerative IVD. Our results showed that PBM selectively inhibited the production of ECM-modifying enzymes in a dose- and wavelength-dependent manner, suggesting that it could be a novel tool for treating symptomatic IVD degeneration.

Spine-on-a-chip: Human annulus fibrosus degeneration model for simulating the severity of intervertebral disc degeneration.

The aetiology of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration accompanied by low back pain (LBP) is largely unknown, and there are no effective fundamental therapies. Symptomatic IVD is known to be associated with nerve root compression. However, even in the absence of nerve compression, LBP occurs in patients with IVD degeneration. We hypothesize that this phenomenon is associated with a concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1ß and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), which can lead to altered histologic features and cellular phenotypes observed during IVD degeneration. This study investigated the effects of the concentration of IL-1ß and macrophage derived soluble factor including IL-1ß and TNF-α on the painful response of human annulus fibrosus (AF) cells using a newly developed spine-on-a-chip. Human AF cells were treated with a range of concentrations of IL-1ß and macrophage soluble factors. Our results show that increasing the concentration of inflammatory initiator caused modulated expression of pain-related factors, angiogenesis molecules, and catabolic enzymes. Furthermore, accumulated macrophage derived soluble factors resulted in morphological changes in human AF cells and kinetic alterations such as velocity, dendritic length, cell area, and growth rate, similar to that reported within degenerative IVD. Thus, a better understanding of the relationships between molecular and kinetic alterations can provide fundamental information regarding the pathology of IVD degenerative progression.

Effect of graphene on growth of neuroblastoma cells.

The unique properties of graphene have earned much interest in the fields of materials science and condensed-matter physics in recent years. However, the biological applications of graphene remain largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the conditions and viability of a cell culture exposed to graphene onto glass and SiO2/Si, using a human nerve cell line, SH-SY5Y. Cell viability was 84% when cultured on glass and SiO2/Si coated with graphene as compared with culturing on polystyrene surface. Fluorescence data showed that the presence of graphene did not influence cell morphology. These findings suggest that graphene may be used for biological applications.