ReviewJOR spine2024
The role of the complement system in disc degeneration and Modic changes.
Review in JOR spine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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
23 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Lumbar degenerative disease: association of serum complement levels with diagnosis, structural severity, and postoperative prognosis.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
- Avenanthramide C and chondroitin sulphate promote chondrogenic differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Modic changes and their role in vertebrogenic back pain: a literature review.Skeletal radiology · 2026Review
- A Commentary on "The Gut-Disc Axis: Unraveling the Microbiome's Role in Lumbar Disc Herniation".Neurospine · 2026Article
- 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
- Do microenvironmental changes in degenerative disc disease reflect in systemic circulation? A proteomic investigation.Clinical proteomics · 2025Article
- Injury Induces More Severe Biomechanical Changes in Middle-Aged and Geriatric Lumbar Spines in a Mouse Ex Vivo Model.JOR spine · 2025Article
- TNFα Receptor 1 and Not Receptor 2 Affect Annulus Fibrosus and Nucleus Pulposus Response to Cytokine Challenge in a Rat Model.JOR spine · 2025Article
- Advancements in Machine Learning for Precision Diagnostics and Surgical Interventions in Interconnected Musculoskeletal and Visual Systems.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Modic changes: From potential molecular mechanisms to future research directions (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2025Review
- Proteomic profiling of human plasma and intervertebral disc tissue reveals matrisomal, but not plasma, biomarkers of disc degeneration.Arthritis research & therapy · 2025Article
- Immune microenvironment in intervertebral disc degeneration: pathophysiology and therapeutic potential.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Proteomic profiling of small extracellular vesicles from bovine nucleus pulposus cells.PloS one · 2025Article
- Identification of aging-related biomarkers for intervertebral disc degeneration in whole blood samples based on bioinformatics and machine learning.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Mechanisms and Factors Influencing Resorption of Herniated Part of Lumbar Disc Herniation: Comprehensive Review.Journal of inflammation research · 2025Review
- Transforaminal Lumbar Endoscopic Discectomy: A Novel Alternative for Management of Lumbar Disc Herniation in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis?Neurospine · 2024Article
- Analysis of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Induced by Endplate Drilling or Needle Puncture in Complement C6-Sufficient and C6-Deficient Rabbits.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Modeling the Effect of Annulus Fibrosus Stiffness on the Stressed State of a Vertebral L1 Body and Nucleus Pulposus.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Disc degeneration and vertebral endplate bone marrow lesions called Modic changes are prevalent spinal pathologies found in chronic low back pain patients. Their pathomechanisms are complex and not fully understood. Recent studies have revealed that complement system proteins and interactors are dysregulated in disc degeneration and Modic changes. The complement system is part of the innate immune system and plays a critical role in tissue homeostasis. However, its dysregulation has also been associated with various pathological conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Here, we review the evidence for the involvement of the complement system in intervertebral disc degeneration and Modic changes. We found that only a handful of studies reported on complement factors in Modic changes and disc degeneration. Therefore, the level of evidence for the involvement of the complement system is currently low. Nevertheless, the complement system is tightly intertwined with processes known to occur during disc degeneration and Modic changes, such as increased cell death, autoantibody production, bacterial defense processes, neutrophil activation, and osteoclast formation, indicating a contribution of the complement system to these spinal pathologies. Based on these mechanisms, we propose a model how the complement system could contribute to the vicious cycle of tissue damage and chronic inflammation in disc degeneration and Modic changes. With this review, we aim to highlight a currently understudied but potentially important inflammatory pathomechanism of disc degeneration and Modic changes that may be a novel therapeutic target.
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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.