• Chao Ma, Ran Wang, Dingliang Zhao, Naikun Wang, Ying Han, Shichong Wang, Tianyun Gao, Bin Wang, and Lijuan Lu.
• Department of Pain, The Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University, No. 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu Province, China.
• Pain Res Manag. 2019 Jan 1; 2019: 6372356.

ObjectivePlatelet-rich plasma (PRP) containing multiple growth factors is a promising strategy for disc degeneration. Thus, this study hypothesizes that the combination of PRP and adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) may repair degenerative disc more effectively than using each one of them alone.MethodsThe model of early intervertebral disc degeneration was induced by annular puncture in the New Zealand rabbit. Autologous PRP was extracted from fresh arterial blood by using two centrifugation techniques. ADSC was offered by the Center for Clinic Stem Cell Research. Four weeks after the first experiment, PRP or ADSCs or a combination of PRP and ADSCs was injected into the punctured intervertebral disc. Four weeks later, disc height and signal intensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were assessed.ResultsOne month after puncture, we detected relatively narrow discs and lower signal intensity in MRI T2-weighted images. At four weeks after injection, the PRP-ADSC group statistically significantly restored discs, compared with PRP, ADSCs, or negative control group.ConclusionsThe combination of PRP and ADSCs shows an effective potential to restore degenerated intervertebral discs in the rabbit.

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