ReviewFrontiers in immunology2023
Immune exposure: how macrophages interact with the nucleus pulposus.
Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- 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
- Proteomic signature of human annulus fibrosus and cartilage endplate: divergent matrisomal architectures reveal complementary roles in intervertebral disc homeostasis.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 · 2026Article
- Potential Role of Mast Cells in Intervertebral Disc Ageing, Herniation Resolution, and Degeneration: Evidence and Lessons Learned from Studies of Mast Cells in Other Connective Tissues.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Review
- Lactate Metabolism in the Intervertebral Disc: Mechanistic Insights and Pathological Implications.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Intervertebral disc puncture predisposes the disc to Cutibacterium acnes infection via hematogenous and contiguous routes: a rat model study.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Article
- Mechano-immune interactions in musculoskeletal aging: Mechanisms and translational perspectives.Theranostics · 2026Review
- Rebuilding the degenerative disc microenvironment: mesenchymal stem cells, exosomes, and bioengineered scaffolds.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Neuroregulatory Biomaterials for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration via Neuro-Disc Microenvironment Modulation.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Review
- Serial MRI documentation of sequestrated lumbar disc resorption during conservative management: a case report.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Blood and lymphatic vascular remodeling in intervertebral disc degeneration.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Do microenvironmental changes in degenerative disc disease reflect in systemic circulation? A proteomic investigation.Clinical proteomics · 2025Article
- Lactate Metabolism in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Unveiling Novel Mechanisms Through Bioinformatics.JOR spine · 2025Article
- M2a macrophages identified as a potential therapeutic candidate for intervertebral disc herniation regression.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2025Article
- Advanced hydrogel therapeutics for intervertebral disc degeneration: Engineering structural-functional properties in natural and synthetic biomaterials.Bioengineering & translational medicine · 2025Review
- What a pain in the back: etiology, diagnosis and future treatment directions for discogenic low back pain.Bone research · 2025Review
- Macrophage Efferocytosis as a Therapeutic Strategy in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.Cell proliferation · 2025Review
- Modulating Macrophage-Nucleus Pulposus Cell Crosstalk via Sequential Drug Delivery Attenuates Disc Degeneration.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- Article
- Modic Changes as Biomarkers for Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain.Biomedicines · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a primary contributor to low back pain. Immune cells play an extremely important role in modulating the progression of IDD by interacting with disc nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). Encased within the annulus fibrosus, healthy NP is an avascular and immune-privileged tissue that does not normally interact with macrophages. However, under pathological conditions in which neovascularization is established in the damaged disc, NP establishes extensive crosstalk with macrophages, leading to different outcomes depending on the different microenvironmental stimuli. M1 macrophages are a class of immune cells that are predominantly pro-inflammatory and promote inflammation and ECM degradation in the NP, creating a vicious cycle of matrix catabolism that drives IDD. In contrast, NP cells interacting with M2 macrophages promote disc tissue ECM remodeling and repair as M2 macrophages are primarily involved in anti-inflammatory cellular responses. Hence, depending on the crosstalk between NP and the type of immune cells (M1 vs. M2), the overall effects on IDD could be detrimental or regenerative. Drug or surgical treatment of IDD can modulate this crosstalk and hence the different treatment outcomes. This review comprehensively summarizes the interaction between macrophages and NP, aiming to highlight the important role of immunology in disc degeneration.
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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.