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Identifying Inflammatory Targets for Biologic Therapies for Spine Pain
Author(s) -
Jacobs Lloydine J.,
Vo Nam,
Kang James D.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
pmandr
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.617
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1934-1563
pISSN - 1934-1482
DOI - 10.1016/j.pmrj.2011.05.003
Subject(s) - medicine , spine (molecular biology) , physical therapy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , bioinformatics , biology
The costs associated with treating spine‐related conditions are enormous and are trending upward. Current methods employed to treat inflammatory‐mediated pain are targeted at alleviating symptoms, rather than correcting the underlying cause of disease. It is clear that a biochemical basis for inflammatory‐mediated intervertebral disk, facet joint, and nerve pain exists. Biologic therapies that address the underlying cause of pain could potentially decrease the costs associated with treating spine pathology. MMPs, IL‐1, TNF‐ α, IL‐6, NGF, bradykinin, prostaglandins, and nitric oxide are implicated in much of the catabolic effects seen in the pathogenesis of inflammatory‐mediated pain and are good targets for inhibition. The anticatabolic and anabolic effects of TIMPs, BMPs, TGF‐ β, and IGF‐1 are targets already shown to favorably impact disk matrix homeostasis. With rapid advances in biomedical technology, these interventions may be available for clinical use in the near future.