Establishment of therapy for low back pain utilizing animal model of intervertebral disc disease

• Project/Area Number: 25462306
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Orthopaedic surgery
• Research Institution: Wakayama Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Kawakami Mamoru 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (20195051)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
• Keywords: 腰痛 / 椎間板変性 / 動物モデル / 椎間関節切除 / 歩行解析 / 椎間不安定性 / 薬物療法 / 脊椎固定 / 行動解析 / 3DマイクロCT

Outline of Final Research Achievements

There was no basic research, which directly demonstrated the relationship between degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) and low back pain. We developed a rat model, in which lumbar facetectomy resulted in delayed gait abnormality seen in the low back pain models, which were induced by direct injuries of the paravertebral muscle and IVD. In our model, spinal instability and IVD degeneration were observed at the affected level, but not compression of the neural tissues such as the cauda equina and nerve roots. A variable of drugs was administered orally or into the affected IVD in this model. However, only oral administration of pregabalin resulted in improvement of gait abnormality. Intervertebral degeneration was not recovered or regenerated after any drug administrations. In addition, spine fusion at the affected level didn’t improve gait abnormality. These results suggest that IVD degeneration does induce low back pain and that the mechanism is related to neuropathic pain.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] 椎間板ヘルニアの発痛機序 その基礎研究の現状と課題 (2015)
  • Author(s): 川上 守
  • Journal Title: 臨床整形外科 Volume: 50 Pages: 883-888
  • NAID: 40020567070
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Gait abnormality due to spinal instability after lumbar facetectomy in the rat (2015)
  • Author(s): Daisuke Fukui, Mamoru Kawakami, Munehito Yoshida, Shin-ichi Nakao, Toshiko Matsuoka, Hiroshi Yamada
  • Journal Title: European Spine Journal Volume: 24(9) Pages: 2085-2094
  • Peer Reviewed / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] ストレス負荷がラットの行動変化に及ぼす影響 (2015)
  • Author(s): 福井大輔、川上 守、内木 充、Koichi Masuda
  • Organizer: 第23回日本腰痛学会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京
  • Year and Date: 2015-11-14
• [Presentation] 3μDCTを用いたラット腰椎椎間板切除後の構造学的変化の検討 (2015)
  • Author(s): 福井大輔、川上 守、内木 充、井上 望、舛田浩一
  • Organizer: 第30回日本整形外科学会基礎学術集会
  • Place of Presentation: 富山市
  • Year and Date: 2015-10-22
• [Presentation] ラット腰椎椎間板切除後の歩行以上に対するストレスの影響 (2015)
  • Author(s): 福井大輔、川上 守、内木 充、舛田浩一
  • Organizer: 第30回日本整形外科学会基礎学術集会
  • Place of Presentation: 富山市
  • Year and Date: 2015-10-22
• [Presentation] Stress enhances gait disturbance induceted by lumbar facetectomy (2015)
  • Author(s): Fukui D, Matsumoto T, Naiki M, Masuda K, Kawakami M
  • Organizer: Annual metting of International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine
  • Place of Presentation: San Fransisco, California, USA
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-08
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] Three-dimentional micro-computed tomography analysis of the intervertebral disc after lumbar facetectomy in the rat (2015)
  • Author(s): Fukui D, Murata K, Shoju S, Chang K, Yamada K, Sato R, Naiki M, Inoue N, Masuda K, Kawakami M
  • Organizer: Annual metting of International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine
  • Place of Presentation: San Fransisco, California, USA
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-08
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited