Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas médicas e biológicas
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Braz. J. Med. Biol. Res. · Mar 2013
Experimental model of intervertebral disc degeneration by needle puncture in Wistar rats.
Animal models of intervertebral disc degeneration play an important role in clarifying the physiopathological mechanisms and testing novel therapeutic strategies. The objective of the present study is to describe a simple animal model of disc degeneration involving Wistar rats to be used for research studies. Disc degeneration was confirmed and classified by radiography, magnetic resonance and histological evaluation. ⋯ Interobserver histological evaluation showed significant agreement. There was a significant positive correlation between histological score and intervertebral disc height 7 and 30 days after the lesion. We conclude that the tail disc puncture method using Wistar rats is a simple, cost-effective and reproducible model for inducing disc degeneration.