Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40488211›Full record

ArticleCytotechnology2025

IGFBP7 inhibition relieves LPS induced nucleus pulposus cell injury by regulating the ERK1/2 pathway.

Jun Gao, Chunsheng Gao, Xiaowei Wang, Maoqing Wu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cytotechnology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jun GaoDepartment of Orthopaedics, The Third People's Hospital of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430033 China.
Chunsheng GaoDepartment of Orthopaedics, The Third People's Hospital of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430033 China.
Xiaowei WangDepartment of Orthopaedics, The Third People's Hospital of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430033 China.
Maoqing WuIntensive Care Unit, The Third People's Hospital of Hubei Province, 26 Zhongshan Avenue, Wuhan, 430033 China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) and its secondary morbidity cause a severe reduction in quality of life. NP cells play a key role in the development of IDD. IGFBP7 plays a role in numerous diseases, especially in orthopedic disorders, but its role and mechanism for IDD are not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of IGFBP7 in a cellular model of LPS-induced IDD. Human primary NP cells were cultured, and subsequently, LPS-stimulated human NP cells were employed to establish an IDD cell model. RT-qPCR and western blot assay were conducted to assess the expression of IGFBP7 in NP cells. A small interfering RNA targeting IGFBP7 (IGFBP7-siRNA) was used to explore the role of IGFBP7 in LPS-treated human NP cells. The viability and apoptosis levels of these cells were then evaluated using MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis. The secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β was calculated by ELISA. RT-qPCR and western blot assay were also utilized to measure the expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, aggrecan, and type II collagen. Furthermore, western blot analysis was employed to detect the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 proteins. To explore the role of the ERK1/2 pathway in NP cells, LM22B-10, an ERK activator, was applied. IGFBP7 expression was significantly elevated in LPS-stimulated human NP cells to approximately 3 folds of control levels. LPS significantly inhibited the viability of human NP cells and promoted the level of apoptosis and inflammatory factor secretion. LPS markedly induced the expression of Bax in human NP cells, while suppressed the abundance of Bcl-2, aggrecan, and collagen type II. LPS significantly activated the ERK1/2 pathway in human NP cells, promoting an increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation levels. All of these phenomena were reversed by IGFBP7-siRNA. LM22B-10 could significantly reverse the effects of IGFBP7-siRNA on LPS-induced human NP cells. Silencing of IGFBP7 could mitigate apoptosis and inflammatory response triggered by LPS in human NP cells by suppressing the ERK1/2 pathway, suggesting a protective role in IDD. IGFBP7 is a potential therapeutic target for IDD.

Indexed as

ERK1/2 pathwayIGFBP7Intervertebral disc degenerationNucleus pulposus

Identifiers

PMID40488211
PMCPMC12144005

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.