ArticleThe spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society2018
Accumulation and localization of macrophage phenotypes with human intervertebral disc degeneration.
Article in The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 119 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
119 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 187 citations in OpenAlex.
- 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
- Extracellular Vesicles as an Emerging Treatment Option for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Therapeutic Potential, Translational Pathways, and Regulatory Considerations.Advanced healthcare materials · 2022Pooled it
- Newly identified intervertebral fat pad degenerates after intervertebral disc injury in a rat model of degeneration.Journal of anatomy · 2026Article
- Integrated molecular, microRNA, and biochemical profiling reveals oxidative stress-driven degeneration of the ligamentum flavum in lumbar spinal stenosis.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Screening of metabolic-related biomarkers linking intervertebral disc degeneration and type 2 diabetes based on comprehensive bioinformatics analysis and machine learning.Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2026Article
- Advances in the study of macrophage polarization in intervertebral disc degeneration.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Review
- Article
- Immunometabolism: A Novel Therapeutic Target and Its Pharmacological Modulation for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Flow Cytometry Study of Immune Cell Subpopulations from the Mouse Vertebral Bone Marrow and Intervertebral Disc Following Endplate Microfracture.Biocell : official journal of the Sociedades Latinoamericanas de Microscopia Electronica ... et. al · 2026Article
- Neuroregulatory Biomaterials for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration via Neuro-Disc Microenvironment Modulation.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Review
- Propionibacterium acnes evades microbicidal phagocytosis by inhibiting the mitochondrial biogenesis of nucleus pulposus cells.The FEBS journal · 2026Article
- Restoring immune homeostasis in the spinal microenvironment: targeting mechano-inflammation and immunometabolic reprogramming.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Bioinformatic analysis of glycosylation-related genes in intervertebral disc degeneration and their roles in immune infiltration and diagnostic models.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- M2a macrophages identified as a potential therapeutic candidate for intervertebral disc herniation regression.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2025Article
- Macrophage Subtypes Distinctly Impact Intervertebral Disc Inflammation and Extracellular Matrix Composition.JOR spine · 2025Article
- Degenerative Lumbosacral Spinal Stenosis Alters Neurotrophin-3 and -4 Expression: Impact of Metabolic and Behavioral Factors.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Article
- Macrophage Efferocytosis as a Therapeutic Strategy in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.Cell proliferation · 2025Review
- Identifying Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells and Lipocalin-2 as Therapeutic Targets for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- Human iPSCs Derived MSCs-Secreted Exosomes Modulate Senescent Nucleus Pulposus Cells Induced Macrophage Polarization via Metabolic Reprogramming to Mitigate Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Article
59 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
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
background contextChronic inflammation is an important component of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration, but there is limited knowledge about the identity and source of inflammatory cells involved with the degenerative processes. Macrophages can exhibit multiple phenotypes and are known inflammatory regulators in many tissues, but their phenotypes have not been characterized in IVD degeneration. PURPOSE: We aimed to characterize accumulation and localization of macrophages in IVD degeneration. STUDY DESIGN/
settingThis is an exploratory study to characterize macrophage phenotypes in human cadaver IVDs and the effects of injury and degeneration using multiple immunohistochemistry methods. OUTCOME MEASURES: Percent positivity of immunohistochemical markers specific for CCR7, CD163, and CD206, and qualitative assessments of dual immunofluorescence and immunostaining localization were the outcome measures.
methodsMacrophages were identified in human cadaveric IVDs with immunohistochemistry using cell surface markers CCR7, CD163, and CD206, which are associated with proinflammatory M1, remodeling M2c, and anti-inflammatory M2a phenotypes, respectively. Variations in the accumulation and localization of macrophage markers with degenerative grade across subjects and within donors are described.
resultsCells expressing all three macrophage markers were found in all degenerative IVDs, but not in the healthiest IVDs. Cells expressing CCR7 and CD163, but not CD206, significantly increased with degenerative grade. Many cells also co-expressed multiple macrophage markers. Across all degenerative grades, CCR7+ and CD163+ were significantly more present in unhealthy nucleus pulposus (NP), annulus fibrosus (AF), and end plate (EP) regions exhibiting structural irregularities and defects. Positively stained cells in the NP and AF closely resembled resident IVD cells, suggesting that IVD cells can express macrophage cell surface markers. In the EP, there were increasing trends of positively stained cells with atypical morphology and distribution, suggesting a source for exogenous macrophage infiltration into the IVD.
conclusionsChronic inflammatory conditions of IVD degeneration appear to involve macrophages or macrophage-like cells, as expression of multiple macrophage markers increased with degeneration, especially around unhealthy regions with defects and the EP. Knowledge of macrophage phenotypes and their localization better elucidates the complex injury and repair processes in IVDs and may eventually lead to novel treatments.
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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.