Figure 5
From: NTG-101: A Novel Molecular Therapy that Halts the Progression of Degenerative Disc Disease
(a) Representative images showing gross morphology of the CD-canine IVDs at spinal level (L3/4) that received an intra-discal injection of PBS or NTG-101 and adjacent IVD at spinal level (L4/5) representing uninjured IVD. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained sections revealed cellularity while Safranin O staining represented proteoglycan content. Healthy (no treatment) controls reveal normal IVD - NP morphology with good cellularity and intact ECM. IVDs injected with PBS (1X, pH = 7.2) displayed markedly disturbed cellularity and ECM whereas NTG-101 injected IVDs were comparable to adjacent, uninjured IVD-NPs (Scale bar: 50 µm for H&E, Safranin O stained sections). (b) Immunohistochemical analysis of aggrecan, collagen type 2A1, IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, MMP-13, Cox-2 and PGE2 levels in uninjured controls, PBS and NTG-101 injected IVD – NPs (Scale bar: 50 µm). (c) Panels shows histograms representing relative fold change in mRNA levels of healthy ECM genes (aggrecan, Col2A1) and inflammation, pain associated genes (IL-6 and IL-8) expression in CD - canine IVD - NP tissues that received a single intra-discal injection of NTG-101 or PBS (1X, pH = 7.2) with respect to adjacent healthy, uninjured IVD-NPs obtained from the same animal. All gene expression fold changes for the injected IVD- NPs were normalized to expression levels in the individual adjacent, healthy canine disc using HPRT used as housekeeping gene. In Fig. 5, data from adjacent, healthy canine IVD-NPs is shown as a representative single bar.
