Puncture intervertebral disc degeneration model: A standard on rabbit

Abstract

At present, a large number of people are suffering from low back pain, which becomes an urgent public health concern, intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is one of the most significant reasons of this disease. This study is aimed to select an optimal needle size to establish a rabbit IDD model by intervertebral disc puncture and the validity was verified by magnetic resonance imaging, histology and immunohistochemical staining. We divided 12 rabbits into four groups of 3 randomly with number table method, including 1 control group and 3 experimental groups. Then the lumbar 3/4 (L3/4), lumbar 4/5 (L4/5) and lumbar 5/6 (L5/6) discs were punctured by 14G, 16G and 21G needles respectively. According to the MRI and histology, the 16G-needle-punctured disc showed a progressive degeneration, the 14G-needle-punctured disc degenerated acutely one week after the operation while the 21G-needle-punctured disc did not show much degeneration. To sum up, the 16 G needle is the most suitable for making a model of IDD, which can replicate the occurrence, development and outcome of various histopathology of IDD in clinic. Although the 14G needle can cause the acute intervertebral disc injury, it is not an ideal approach to establish an IDD model. 21G needle causes little disc degeneration inversely, and it could be a promising approach to inject kinds of medicine to treat or prevent IDD.