ArticleJOR spine2026
Modic Change Bone Marrow Neutrophils Are Activated and Degrade Cartilage Endplates.
Article in JOR spine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Blood immune profiles in chronic low back pain patients with type 1 Modic changes are associated with intradiscal propionic acid levels.Research square · 2026Article
- IntradiscalJOR spine · 2026Article
- From Modic changes to the disc-endplate-bone marrow complex: imaging stratification, immune remodeling, and translational implications in intervertebral disc degeneration.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Vertebral endplate bone marrow lesions (Modic changes, MC) are linked to vertebrogenic pain and to structural defects of the bony and cartilaginous endplates (CEP). However, the immune mechanisms that may perpetuate CEP damage in MC remain unclear. Objective: To (i) characterize neutrophils in MC bone marrow and (ii) test whether activated neutrophils can degrade human CEP tissue. Methods: In low back pain patients undergoing lumbar fusion, paired bone marrow aspirates were collected intraoperatively from an MC level and an adjacent non-MC vertebra (intra-patient control). MC neutrophils were characterized by bulk RNA sequencing of sorted CD45 Results: MC neutrophils showed an activated, pro-inflammatory transcriptomic signature, including enrichment of calcium-associated processes consistent with degranulation. Flow cytometry demonstrated higher CD66b intensity in MC neutrophils versus intra-patient controls (125.4 ± 34.2%, Conclusions: Neutrophils within MC bone marrow have an activated pro-inflammatory phenotype, and activated neutrophils can degrade CEP proteoglycans ex vivo. These findings support a potential immune-mediated mechanism contributing to CEP weakening and indicate that MC are not just reactive changes but themselves have degenerative effects.
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Registered trials
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