A promising treatment for those suffering from lower back pain

A promising treatment for those suffering from lower back pain

Scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have identified a new subset of cells within the degenerating, jelly-like intervertebral discs in people with low back pain. These cells do not appear in people who have healthy intervertebral discs or degenerated discs without experiencing pain, according to New Atlas, citing the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Cells in the back vertebrae

Lead researcher Dr. Dmitry Shein, a research scientist at the Cedars-Sinai Center, said that he and his research team succeeded in “identifying for the first time specific cells that could be the key to understanding pain” in the back vertebrae, noting that “knowing more about how these cells work could lead to... “Ultimately discovering new treatment options.”

In the study, the researchers simulated deteriorating conditions in the vertebrae and transformed cultured cells into this newly discovered pain-related cell subtype. The researchers also cultured cells in one chamber of a two-chamber chip. In the other room, they housed pain-signaling neurons that were created from stem cells.

Pain cells

The researchers discovered that when pain-related cells were present in the slice, neurons in the second chamber grew axons - the fibrous network through which signals are transmitted - in the direction of the pain cells. But there was no change in the structure of the neurons when the healthy cells were in the next room.

Dr. Shen said it was still unknown “whether the pain-associated cells attracted the invading neurons, or whether the healthy cells repelled it, but there was definitely a difference between the healthy cells and the pain-associated cells.”

Invasion of nerve endings

Because there are no nerve endings in the intervertebral discs, their deterioration does not necessarily lead to lower back pain. But when spinal shock absorbers wear out and dry out, the tissue around them can interfere.

“Sometimes, when discs degenerate, nerve endings from the surrounding tissue invade the disc, [which can be the reason for feeling] pain,” Dr. Shen explained.

Exciting discovery

The discovery is exciting as it could lead to important treatment options for about 40% of adults who suffer from lower back pain due to deterioration of the vertebrae.

The researchers envision that treatment options could include reprogramming pain-related cells or filling the discs with healthy cells to overpower the problem cells.

“Specifically targeting the ‘bad’ cell subtype or complementing the ‘good’ cell subtype may provide useful strategies for treating vertebra-based low back pain,” said Clive Svendsen of Cedars-Sinai, noting that “the study results demonstrate the validity of “Some knowledge of classical spine or pain biology can be a step toward targeted cell therapy that addresses the root causes of low back pain.”

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