The short-term effects of chymopapain on intervertebral discs

Abstract

Cadeveric lumbar discs were injected with chymopapain and subjected to a series of mechanical tests over a period of up to 19 hours. Discs from the same spine injected with saline were used as controls. The results showed that chymopapain had no measurable effect on the mechanical properties of the disc apart from the increased height and stiffening caused by fluid injection. Another series of tests on isolated pieces of disc material showed that chymopapain could reduce the size of prolapsed nuclear material by 24% in one hour and by 80% in 48 hours. It is concluded that, in the short-term, chymopapain has a negligible effect on the mechanics of a disc but it can reduce the size of any prolapse nuclear material with which it comes in contact.