[Establishment of a rat model of cervical syndrome with kidney deficiency].
OBJECTIVE
To establish a rat model of cervical syndrome (CS) with kidney deficiency.


METHODS
A group of 30 three-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group, CS group and CS with kidney deficiency group (combined group), with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the normal control group received no treatment, rats in the CS group underwent only resection of cervical muscles and ligaments as unbalanced dynamic and static animal model, and rats in combined group underwent resection of both cervical muscles and ovaries as kidney deficiency model. Serum and cervical intervertebral discs were collected. Kidney deficiency was determined by observing the morphologic changes of uterus and appendages, detecting the weight of uterus and appendages and the content of serum estradiol (E(2)). The degeneration of intervertebral discs was determined by detecting the histopathology, the expressions of type II collagen and type X collagen proteins, and the expressions of aggrecan-1 (Agc1), type II procollagen gene (Col2a1), matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) mRNAs.


RESULTS
Compared with those in the normal control group and CS group, the rats in the combined group were noted with the uterus atrophied, the caliber of oviduct thinned, the weight of uterus and appendages diminished obviously, the content of serum E(2) decreased, cervical intervertebral disc degenerated more seriously, type II collagen protein expression decreased, type X collagen protein expression increased, Agc1 and Col2a1 mRNA expressions in intervertebral disc decreased, and the MMP-13 mRNA expression increased.


CONCLUSIONS
The rat model of CS with kidney deficiency is established. Kidney deficiency can aggravate cervical intervertebral disc degeneration.
Institute of Spine, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China.
Jian-Chun
JC
Jiang
Chen-Guang
CG
Li
Qian-Qian
QQ
Liang
Qin
Q
Bian
Quan
Q
Zhou
Xue-Jun
XJ
Cui
Min
M
Huang
Qing-Gao
QG
Liu
Sheng
S
Lu
Chong-Jian
CJ
Zhou
Qi
Q
Shi
Yong-Jun
YJ
Wang
D000818:Animals; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007674:Kidney Diseases; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016711:Yang Deficiency