Fig. 7.

Proposed hypothetical mechanism for inflammation-induced aggrecan degradation leading to TRPV4-mediated pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Schematic demonstrating the potential feedback loop where (a) a healthy nucleus pulposus tissue is exposed to pro-inflammatory cytokines that induce ( b) glycosaminoglycan (GAG) degradation and loss which reduces the tissue osmolarity within the NP. (c) Reduced osmolarity stimulates increased TRPV4 expression that (d) mediated expression of additional pro-inflammatory cytokines thereby leading to a potential feedback loop.