Figure 1. Intervertebral discs produce inflammatory cytokines/chemokines with degeneration.
Aging, mechanical insults, Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) accelerate disc degeneration. Left: intact mouse tail IVD stained with Alcian blue, with hematoxylin and eosin counter stain; Right: injury-induced degenerative IVD. NP: nucleus pulposus; AF: annulus fibrosus.
