ReviewNature reviews. Rheumatology2014
Role of cytokines in intervertebral disc degeneration: pain and disc content.
Review in Nature reviews. Rheumatology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 1,086 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effects of Cyriax Manipulation in Cervical Discogenic Pain
Effects of Elongation Longitudinaux Avec Decoaption Osteo-Articulaire (ELDOA) in Cervical Disc Protrusion
The Effect of High-power Laser Therapy on Pain, Functional Disability, Range of Motion and Pressure Pain Threshold in Subjects With Radicular Low Back Pain Due to Intervertebral Disc Herniation: A Double-blind Randomised Controlled Trial
Who cites it
1,086 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,710 citations in OpenAlex.
- Causal links between multi-domain risk factors and intervertebral disc degeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Mendelian randomization studies.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Sequesterectomy versus standard micro‑/open discectomy for lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurosurgical review · 2026Pooled it
- Mapping the degenerating intervertebral disc: a systematic review of histological evidence.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Global trends and hotspots of macrophage-related research in intervertebral disc degeneration from 2005 to 2025: a bibliometric and visualized analysis.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Pooled it
- Reprogramming NOX4-associated ferro-aging with an iron-chelating senescent-cell-targeted therapy for intervertebral disc degeneration.Bioactive materials · 2027Article
- Biomaterials for intervertebral disc regeneration: Niche reprogramming, precision therapeutics, and structural reconstruction.Bioactive materials · 2027Review
- Coronal curvature angle and asymmetrical blood vessel distribution in intervertebral discs from aged cadavers: a pilot study.Spine deformity · 2026Article
- Identification and Experimental Validation of PANoptosis Key Genes for Constructing a PANoptosis Risk Diagnostic Model in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.The journal of gene medicine · 2026Article
- Management of Musculoskeletal Injuries with an Inflammatory Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern (DAMP) Etiology.Pain and therapy · 2026Review
- Microfragmented Adipose Tissue in Pain Management: Bridging Regenerative Biology and Clinical Therapeutics.Pain and therapy · 2026Review
- Versatile Microgel Platform for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Therapy: Targeting Pericyte-Mediated Fibrosis and Protecting Nucleus Pulposus Cells.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome in Patients with Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease: Clinical Findings and Short-Term Outcomes in a Retrospective Cohort Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Juanbi Tang Attenuates Intervertebral Disc Degeneration by Suppressing p38MAPK/NF-κB Signaling and Activating Atg5-Dependent Autophagy to Promote Macrophage M2 Polarization: In Vivo and In Vitro Evidence.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2026Article
- Lysosomal Dysfunction Is Associated With Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Multiomics and Machine Learning Identify Molecular Subtypes and Hub Genes.The journal of gene medicine · 2026Article
- Gas therapy: an innovative application for intervertebral disc degeneration.Medical gas research · 2026Review
- Article
- Article
- Ergothioneine-Derived Carbon Dot Nanozymes Alleviate the Oxidative Stress Microenvironment to Delay Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Impaired Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy Accelerates Intervertebral Disc Degeneration by Inducing MIDN Accumulation to Target TSC2 for Proteasomal Degradation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
1,026 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Degeneration of the intervertebral discs (IVDs) is a major contributor to back, neck and radicular pain. IVD degeneration is characterized by increases in levels of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-17 secreted by the IVD cells; these cytokines promote extracellular matrix degradation, chemokine production and changes in IVD cell phenotype. The resulting imbalance in catabolic and anabolic responses leads to the degeneration of IVD tissues, as well as disc herniation and radicular pain. The release of chemokines from degenerating discs promotes the infiltration and activation of immune cells, further amplifying the inflammatory cascade. Leukocyte migration into the IVD is accompanied by the appearance of microvasculature tissue and nerve fibres. Furthermore, neurogenic factors, generated by both disc and immune cells, induce expression of pain-associated cation channels in the dorsal root ganglion. Depolarization of these ion channels is likely to promote discogenic and radicular pain, and reinforce the cytokine-mediated degenerative cascade. Taken together, an enhanced understanding of the contribution of cytokines and immune cells to these catabolic, angiogenic and nociceptive processes could provide new targets for the treatment of symptomatic disc disease. In this Review, the role of key inflammatory cytokines during each of the individual phases of degenerative disc disease, as well as the outcomes of major clinical studies aimed at blocking cytokine function, are discussed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.