Journal: JOR Spine
Article Title: Intradiscal Cutibacterium acnes Sustains Modic Type 1‐Like Lesions Over Time in a Rat Lumbar Endplate Injury Model
doi: 10.1002/jsp2.70182
Figure Lengend Snippet: Pain‐like behavior and spinal cord sensitization was increased in both EP injury groups and SubP was significantly higher in the EP injury + C. acnes group. (A) Normalized hind paw withdrawal thresholds (% baseline) measured using von Frey testing over 13 weeks following EP injury with TNF‐α (blue squares) or C. acnes (pink triangles) injection, or sham surgery (black circles). Both EP injury groups demonstrated a significant and sustained reduction in mechanical thresholds compared to Sham, indicating long‐lasting mechanical hypersensitivity. No significant difference was observed between the EP injury + TNF‐α and EP injury + C. acnes groups. Data are shown as mean ± SD. Mixed‐effect analysis with Tukey post hoc analysis. * p < 0.05 for EP injury + TNF‐α versus Sham; # p < 0.05 for EP injury + C. acnes versus Sham. Time points 1–13 weeks: Sham: N = 4–12 rats, EP injury + TNF‐α: 6–19 rats, EP injury + C. acnes : 6–18 rats. (B) Random forest model showed that MC1‐like presence and area contributed strongest to pain‐like behavior. Graph shows %IncMSE. p values are FDR‐adjusted permutation‐based values. Black bars: p < 0.05. (C) Representative images of SubP expression spinal cord dorsal horn. (D) Quantification of SubP‐ir in the spinal cord dorsal horn area at 1‐, 8‐, and 14‐weeks. SubP levels were significantly increased in EP injury + TNF‐α and EP injury + C. acnes groups compared to Sham at 8‐ and 14‐weeks. SubP was significantly higher in EP injury + C. acnes versus EP injury + TNF‐α groups at 14‐WKs post‐injury. Significance bars represent results from Tukey's post hoc analysis. Time points weeks 1, 8, 14: Sham: N = 4, EP injury + TNF‐α: N = 6–7, EP injury + C. acnes : N = 5–6 spinal cords. (E) Representative images of GFAP expression in spinal cord dorsal horn. (F) Quantification of GFAP‐ir in the spinal cord dorsal horn area at 1‐, 8‐, and 14‐weeks. GFAP expression increased significantly in both EP injury + TNF‐α and EP injury + C . acnes groups compared to Sham, with a progressive increase from week 1 to week 14. There was no difference between injury groups. Significance bars represent results from Tukey post hoc analysis. Time points weeks 1, 8, 14: Sham: N = 4, EP injury + TNF‐α: N = 6–7, EP injury + C. acnes : N = 5–6. Bars represent mean ± SD. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001. C. acnes , Cutibacterium acnes ; EP, endplate; GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein; IncMSE, percent increase in mean standard error; IQR, interquartile range; MC, modic change; SubP, substance P.
Article Snippet: Sections were then incubated for 1 h at room temperature with one of the following primary antibodies: (i) rabbit polyclonal antibody against rat TNF‐α (1:500 dilution, #NBP1‐19532, Novus Biologics, MN, USA), (ii) rabbit recombinant multiclonal antibody against rat NE (1:500 dilution, #ab314916, Abcam, Waltham, MA, USA), or (iii) rabbit recombinant polyclonal antibody against rat CD19 (1:150 dilution, #27949‐1‐AP, ThermoFisher, Waltham, MA, USA).
Techniques: Injection, Expressing