ArticleArthritis research & therapy2018
Short Link N promotes disc repair in a rabbit model of disc degeneration.
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Review
- Accumulation Kinetics and Biological Action of Doxorubicin in Rabbit Intervertebral Discs.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Link N Directly Targets IL-1β to Suppress Inflammation and Regulate Sensory Pain in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.Biomolecules · 2025Article
- Drug retention after intradiscal administration.Drug delivery · 2024Article
- Advances in the Regulation of Periostin for Osteoarthritic Cartilage Repair Applications.Biomolecules · 2024Article
- Short Link N Modulates Inflammasome Activity in Intervertebral Discs Through Interaction with CD14.Biomolecules · 2024Article
- Recent advances in the repair of degenerative intervertebral disc for preclinical applications.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2023Review
- Animal models of regenerative medicine for biological treatment approaches of degenerative disc diseases.Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.) · 2021Review
- Link N as a therapeutic agent for discogenic pain.JOR spine · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is characterized by proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix, and its repair requires the production of an extracellular matrix with a high proteoglycan-to-collagen ratio characteristic of a nucleus pulposus (NP)-like phenotype in vivo. At the moment, there is no medical treatment to reverse or even retard disc degeneration. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a low dose of short link N (sLN), a recently discovered fragment of the link N peptide, could behave in a manner similar to that of link N in restoring the proteoglycan content and proteoglycan-to-collagen ratio of the disc in a rabbit model of IVD degeneration, as an indication of its potential therapeutic benefit in reversing disc degeneration.
methodsAdolescent New Zealand white rabbits received an annular puncture with an 18-gauge needle into two noncontiguous discs to induce disc degeneration. Two weeks later, either saline (10 μL) or sLN (25 μg in 10 μL saline) was injected into the center of the NP. The sLN concentration was empirically chosen at a lower molar concentration equivalent to half that of link N (100 μg in 10 μL). The effect on radiographic, biochemical and histologic changes were evaluated.
resultsFollowing needle puncture, disc height decreased by about 25-30% within 2 weeks and maintained this loss for the duration of the 12-week study; a single 25-μg sLN injection at 2 weeks partially restored this loss in disc height. sLN injection led to an increase in glycosaminoglycans (GAG) content 12 weeks post-injection in both the NP and annulus fibrosus (AF). There was a trend towards maintaining control disc collagen-content with sLN supplementation and the GAG-to-collagen ratio in the NP was increased when compared to the saline group.
conclusionsWhen administered to the degenerative disc in vivo, sLN injection leads to an increase in proteoglycan content and a trend towards maintaining control disc collagen content in both the NP and AF. This is similar to link N when it is administered to the degenerative disc. Thus, pharmacologically, sLN supplementation could be a novel therapeutic approach for treating disc degeneration.
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