title: Autophagy: A double-edged sword in intervertebral disk degeneration.
abstract: Autophagy is a homeostatic mechanism through which intracellular damaged organelles and proteins are degraded and recycled in response to increased metabolic demands or stresses. Although primarily cytoprotective, dysfunction of autophagy is often associated with many degenerative diseases, including intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IDD). As a main contributing factor to low back pain, IDD is the pathological basis for various debilitating spinal diseases. Either higher or lower levels of autophagy are observed in degenerative IVD cells. Despite the precise role of autophagy in disc degeneration that is still controversial, with difference from protection to aggravation, targeting autophagy has shown promise for mitigating disc degeneration. In the current review, we summarize the changes of autophagy in degenerative IVD cells and mainly discuss the relationship between autophagy and IDD. With continued efforts, modulation of the autophagic process could be a potential and attractive therapeutic strategy for degenerative disc disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
authors.forename: Shu-Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Si
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Yang
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Guo
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand and Micro-surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand and Micro-surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Xiao
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China. Electronic address: wwwwjj167@qq.com.
authors.forename: Wen-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001343:Autophagy; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: AF; Autophagy; IDD; IVD; NP