椎间盘退变程度与髓核中miRNA-142-3p、混合谱系激酶3及白细胞介素1β的相关性

Correlation between the expression of miRNA-142-3p,mixed lineage kinase 3 and interleukin-1beta in nucleus pulposus and the degree of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration

背景:研究表明,miRNA水平与椎间盘细胞的凋亡和增殖、细胞外基质代谢和炎症反应密切相关,而miR-142-3p在椎间盘退变中的具体作用尚不清楚。目的:探讨人腰椎间盘髓核组织中miRNA-142-3p、混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素1β表达与椎间盘退变程度的相关性。方法:选择2020年1月至2022年3月在苏州市第九人民医院因腰椎间盘退行性疾病而行手术的患者82例,术前均行MRI检查,根据Videman分级标准将患者分为轻度退变组(n=36)、中度退变组(n=26)和重度退变组(n=20),获取82份髓核组织标本,检测各组髓核组织中miRNA-142-3p、混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素1β、Ⅰ型胶原和Ⅱ型胶原的基因表达,以及混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素1β、Ⅰ型胶原和Ⅱ型胶原的蛋白表达,采用Spearman相关系数法评估miRNA-142-3p、混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素β表达与腰椎间盘退变程度的相关性。采用随机数字表法将30只成年SD大鼠分为假手术组(仅穿刺皮肤与肌肉后处死)、轻度退变组(穿刺Co7/8椎间盘1周后处死)与重度退变组(穿刺Co7/8椎间盘2周后处死),每组10只,检测各组髓核组织中混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素1β的蛋白表达,以及miRNA-142-3p、混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素1β的基因表达。结果与结论:①人髓核组织:miRNA-142-3p的表达由高到低的顺序为轻度退变组>中度退变组>重度退变组(P<0.05),混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素1β基因与蛋白表达由低到高的顺序为:轻度退变组<中度退变组<重度退变组(P<0.05),Ⅰ型胶原基因与蛋白表达由低到高的顺序为:轻度退变组<中度退变组<重度退变组(P<0.05),Ⅱ型胶原基因与蛋白表达由高到低的顺序为:轻度退变组>中度退变组>重度退变组的趋势(P<0.05);Spearman相关分析显示,椎间盘退变程度与miRNA-142-3p表达呈负相关(P<0.05),与混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素1β表达呈正相关(P<0.05);②大鼠髓核组织:与假手术组比较,轻度退变组髓核组织中混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素1β基因与蛋白表达升高(P<0.05),miRNA-142-3p表达降低(P<0.05);与轻度退变组比较,重度退变组髓核组织中混合谱系激酶3、白细胞介素1β基因与蛋白表达升高(P<0.05),miRNA-142-3p表达降低(P<0.05);③结果表明,人腰椎间盘退变程度与髓核组织中miRNA-142-3p表达呈负相关,与混合谱系激酶3和白细胞介素1β表达呈正相关。

BACKGROUND:MicroRNA(miRNA)levels are closely related to cell apoptosis and proliferation,extracellular matrix metabolism and inflammatory response in intervertebral disc cells.However,the specific role of miR-142-3p in lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration remains unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the correlation between the expression of miRNA-142-3p,mixed lineage kinase 3 and interleukin-1βin nucleus pulposus tissue and degree of human lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration.METHODS:A total of 82 patients with lumbar intervertebral disc degenerative diseases in Suzhou Ninth People’s Hospital from January 2020 to March 2022 were collected as the study subjects,all of whom underwent MRI examination before operation.According to the Videman classification,the patients were divided into mild degeneration group(n=36),moderate degeneration group(n=26)and severe degeneration group(n=20).Eighty-two specimens of the nucleus pulposus were obtained.The mRNA expression of miRNA-142-3p as well as the mRNA and protein expression of mixed lineage kinase 3,interleukin-1β,type I collagen,type II collagen in nucleus pulposus tissue were detected by qPCR and western blot assay.The correlation between the degree of human lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and the expression levels of miRNA-142-3p,mixed lineage kinase 3,and interleukin-1βwas also assessed using the Spearman correlation coefficient method.Thirty adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham-operated group(executed after puncturing skin and muscle only),mild degeneration group(executed 1 week after puncturing Co7/8 segments)and severe degeneration group(executed 2 weeks after puncturing Co7/8 segments),with 10 rats in each group.After that,we detected the protein expression of mixed lineage kinase 3 and interleukin-1βas well as the gene expression of miRNA-142-3p,mixed lineage kinase 3 and interleukin-1βin the nucleus pulposus tissue.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In human nucleus pulposus tissue,the miRNA-142-3p expression ranked from high to low as follows:mild degeneration group>moderate degeneration group>severe degeneration group(P<0.05);the gene and protein expression of mixed lineage kinase 3 and interleukin-1βfrom low to high was as follows:mild degeneration group<moderate degeneration group<severe degeneration group(P<0.05);the gene and protein expression of type I collagen from low to high was as follows:mild degeneration group<moderate degeneration group<severe degeneration group(P<0.05),and the gene and protein expression of type I collagen from high to low was as follows:mild degeneration group>moderate degeneration group>severe degeneration group(P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that the degree of disc degeneration was negatively correlated with miRNA-142-3p expression(P<0.05)and positively correlated with mixed lineage kinase 3 and interleukin-1βexpression(P<0.05).In rat nucleus pulposus tissue,compared with the shamoperated group,the expression of mixed lineage kinase 3 and interleukin-1βgene and protein was elevated in the mild degeneration group(P<0.05)while miRNA-142-3p expression was decreased(P<0.05);compared with the mild degeneration group,the expression of mixed lineage kinase 3 and interleukin-1βgene and protein was increased in the severe degeneration group(P<0.05)while miRNA-142-3p expression was decreased(P<0.05).To conclude,the degree of human lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration is negatively correlated with miRNA-142-3p expression and positively correlated with mixed lineage kinase 3 and interleukin-1βexpression in nucleus pulposus tissue.