Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is one of major causes for intervertebral disc degenerative diseases, and patients with IDD usually suffer from serious low back pain. The current treatments for patients with IDD only relieve the clinical symptom rather than restore biological balance of IDD, leading to inadequate and unsatisfactory results. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, non-coding, single-stranded RNA molecules, which regulate the gene expression at the post-transcription levels. Research evidences support the involvement of miRNAs in many biological processes, such as lipid metabolism, apoptosis, differentiation and organ development. Accumulating evidences indicate that the expressions of miRNAs change significantly in degenerative tissues. In addition, dysregulated miRNAs contribute to multiple pathological process of IDD, including proliferation and apoptosis of nucleus pulposus and extracellular matrix components, inflammatory response and cartilage endplates degeneration. In this review article, we summarize the expression profiles and roles of miRNAs in IDD, which may provide a novel strategy of biological therapy for the disease.
椎间盘退变(IDD)是引起椎间盘退行性疾病的主要原因之一,其导致的下腰痛严重影响患者生活质量。目前,临床上针对IDD的治疗手段主要以缓解临床症状为主,而不是从其病理机制入手,尚缺乏有效的生物学治疗手段。微RNA(miRNA)是一种在转录后水平调控基因表达的内源性单链非编码小RNA,参与调控多种生物学过程,如脂类代谢和细胞凋亡、分化及器官发育。研究表明,miRNA在退变的椎间盘组织中呈高表达或低表达,参与IDD的多种病理过程,包括髓核细胞增生和凋亡、细胞外基质合成、炎症反应及软骨终板退变。本文总结了miRNA在退变椎间盘组织中的表达谱及其在IDD发生发展中的作用。随着对miRNA研究的深入,miRNA可能成为IDD生物学治疗的新策略。