• Graciosa Q Teixeira, Zhiyao Yong, Raquel M Goncalves, Amelie Kuhn, Jana Riegger, Helena Brisby, Barreto HenrikssonHelenaHDepartment of Orthopedics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden.Department of Orthopedics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.Department of Clinical Immuno, Michael Ruf, Andreas Nerlich, Uwe M Mauer, Anita Ignatius, Rolf E Brenner, and Cornelia Neidlinger-Wilke.
• Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, Trauma Research Centre, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
• Eur Spine J. 2021 Jan 1; 30 (1): 217-226.

PurposeThe complement system is a crucial part of innate immunity. Recent work demonstrated an unexpected contribution to tissue homeostasis and degeneration. This study investigated for the first time, in human disc tissues, the deposition profile of the complement activation product terminal complement complex (TCC), an inflammatory trigger and inducer of cell lysis, and its inhibitor CD59, and their correlation with the degree of disc degeneration (DD).MethodsDisc biopsies were collected from patients diagnosed with DD (n = 39, age 63 ± 12) and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS, n = 10, age 17 ± 4) and compared with discs from healthy Young (n = 11, age 7 ± 7) and Elder (n = 10, age 65 ± 15) donors. Immunohistochemical detection of TCC and CD59 in nucleus pulposus (NP), annulus fibrosus (AF) and endplate (EP) was correlated with age, Pfirrmann grade and Modic changes.ResultsHigher percentage of TCC+ cells was detected in the NP and EP of DD compared to Elder (P < 0.05), and in the EP of Young versus Elder (P < 0.001). In DD, TCC deposition was positively correlated with Pfirrmann grade, but not with Modic changes, whereas for Young donors, a negative correlation was found with age, indicating TCC's involvement not only in DD, but also in early stages of skeletal development. Higher CD59 positivity was found in AIS and DD groups compared to Young (P < 0.05), and it was negatively correlated with the age of the patients.ConclusionTCC deposition positively correlated with the degree of disc degeneration. A functional relevance of TCC may exist in DD, representing a potential target for new therapeutics.

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