Relationship between degenerative lumbar disc disease and
peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2671

Abstract

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that the main causes of disc degeneration are heredity, aging, malnutrition and load history. The role of immune system in the process of intervertebral disc degeneration is not clear.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in patients with lumbar disc degeneration, and to study the relationship between the severity of lumbar disc degeneration and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets.

METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 76 patients with degenerative lumbar disc disease (experimental group) and 56 healthy volunteers (control group). The percentages of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets including CD3⁺ T cells, CD4⁺ T cells, CD8⁺ T cells, CD19⁺ B cells, and CD3^-CD16⁺CD56⁺ natural killer (NK) cells were measured by flow cytometry. The ratio of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ was calculated. The Pfirrmann grading standard was used to evaluate the grade of lumbar disc degeneration in the two groups, and the correlation between peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets and lumbar disc degeneration was further evaluated. The study protocol was approved by the Ethic Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in China with approval No. 2019-KY-285. Each participant signed informed consent prior to the study.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The degenerative grade of the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The percentages of CD4⁺ T cells, NK cells and the ratio of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The percentage of CD8⁺ T cells in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no correlation between the grade of lumbar disc degeneration and lymphocyte subsets of the peripheral blood in the control group. In the experimental group, there was a linear positive correlation between the grade of lumbar disc degeneration and the percentage of CD4⁺T cells, the ratio of CD4⁺/CD8⁺, and the percentage of NK cells (r=0.412, P=0.000; r=0.715, P=0.000; r=0.494, P=0.000), and there was a linear negative correlation between the grade of lumbar disc degeneration and the percentage of CD8+T cells (r=-0.737, P=0.000). Our results suggest that degenerative changes of the lumbar disc may be related to the changes of lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood, and the increase of CD4⁺ T cells, NK cells and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio may accelerate lumbar disc degeneration. Therefore, changes in the immune system may predict the occurrence of lumbar disc degeneration and may be a target for prevention and treatment of degenerative lumbar disc diseases.

Key words: lumbar disc degeneration, lymphocyte subsets, autoimmunity, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, NK cells

CLC Number:

Feng Yang, Yan Xu, Wang Yongkui, Yang Tengyue, Shang Lijie, Zhang Chunlin. Relationship between degenerative lumbar disc disease and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2020, 24(17): 2630-2635.

Figures/Tables 7

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