Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40662113›Full record

ArticleJOR spine2025

Chondrodystrophic Dogs as a Preclinical Large Animal Model of Discogenic Back Pain.

Mary K Heimann, Shirley N Tang, Gilian Gunsch, Kyle Kuchynsky, Brett Klamer, Fangli Zhao, Megan Co, Maciej Pietrzak, Justin Richards, Jake Klausner and 9 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JOR spine, 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

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.

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

19 authors.

Mary K HeimannDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Shirley N TangDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8807-2348
Gilian GunschCenter for Life Sciences Education, College of Arts and Sciences The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Kyle KuchynskyDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Brett KlamerCenter for Biostatistics, College of Medicine The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Fangli ZhaoDepartment of Neuroscience, College of Medicine The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Megan CoDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Maciej PietrzakDepartment of Biomedical Informatics The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Justin RichardsDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Jake KlausnerDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Adam SmithDepartment of Orthopaedics, College of Medicine The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Kaitlyn CimneyDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Sara McBride-GagyiDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Brad YoungbloodDepartment of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine The Ohio State University Ohio USA.
Kara CorpsDepartment of Veterinary Biosciences The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Candice AskwithDepartment of Neuroscience, College of Medicine The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Benjamin A WalterDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0742-5533
Sarah A MooreDepartment of Veterinary Clinical Sciences The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.
Devina PurmessurDepartment of Biomedical Engineering The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7445-1678

Funding

Translational Therapeutics Research Program (TT)P30CA016058 · NCI · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI Daniel G. Stover · 1985 to 2026
$132.3M
Immune-modulation in canine models of painful intervertebral disc degenerationR21AR077809 · NIAMS · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI PURMESSUR (WALTER), DEVINA · 2020 to 2021
$371k
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA016058NIAMS NIH HHS R21 AR077809
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a major cause of low back pain (LBP) in humans and canines. IVD degeneration affects the structure and function of both the disc and the innervating dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Preclinical animal models are necessary for elucidating the mechanisms of IVD degeneration (IVDD) and the pain signaling pathways involved in discogenic back pain. The chondrodystrophic (CD) dog exhibits similar characteristics to the clinical population affected by IVDD-associated LBP. However, further investigation of the translational tools to study these conditions and the efficacy of novel treatments is needed in this canine model. The objectives of the present study are to: (1) assess the changes in the structure and function of the IVD and DRG, including pain behaviors, in response to injury using a comprehensive set of outcome measures and (2) evaluate the efficacy of potential therapeutics in mitigating these pathologic changes due to injury in the CD canine model. Methods: Retired female research beagles underwent spinal surgery where T11/T12, T12/T13, and T13/L1 IVDs were identified and punctured with a needle containing either a protease-activated receptor 2 antagonist (PAR2A) and cromolyn sodium (CS) solution ( Results: We evaluated a comprehensive series of outcome measures to determine the effects of IVD injury on the structure/function of the canine IVD and DRG, and pain in the in vivo CD dog model of IVDD and back pain. Specifically, we established methods to obtain high-quality messenger RNA from canine DRGs to perform bulk RNA-seq. We demonstrated that injury to the disc resulted in significant upregulation of inflammatory and pain-signaling genes, and downregulation of developmental genes in the adjacent innervating DRG neurons. Additionally, we isolated and cultured viable neurons from canine DRGs and found through whole-cell patch-clamp that DRGs innervating the injured disc demonstrated altered voltage-gated sodium channel activity compared to controls. Using T2-weighted MRI, we demonstrated that relaxation time in punctured discs was reduced in four out of the six dogs compared to internal control discs, indicating potential compositional changes in these injured IVDs. No significant effect of PAR2A and CS treatment was observed in this small cohort and warrants further investigation. Conclusion: This study evaluated a rigorous series of outcome measures to determine the effects of IVD injury on the disc joint and pain in a CD canine in vivo model of back pain. This was the first study to investigate the effects of disc injury on canine DRG transcriptome and whole-cell patch clamping on canine DRG neurons. Results support the CD dog as a clinically relevant translational model for studying IVDD and LBP, and for evaluating the potential efficacy of novel therapeutics in mitigating the changes associated with these conditions.

Indexed as

caninedegenerationintervertebral disclow Back painpreclinical animal model

Identifiers

PMID40662113
PMCPMC12258126

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.