# Effect of Fas and Bcl-2 DNA Damages Response Expression in Stem Cells on Apoptosis of Nucleus Pulposus of Intervertebral Disc

Authors: Hui Zhang; Yuxin Song; Yang Yang; Zhao Gao; Zhengdong Song; Wenji Wang
Journal: Stem Cells International
 (2023)

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## Abstract

The nucleus pulposus is an elastic jelly composed of crisscross fibrous reticular structures, namely, chondrocytes and proteoglycan mucoid matrix. Embryo and adult SC can resist the accumulation of genetic damage and repair them through various DNA repair mechanisms, thus preventing them from spreading to daughter cells. Fresh medullary tissue was fixed with 10% formaldehyde solution, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned at 4 m. The nucleus pulposus was stained with HE, and its degeneration was observed under light microscope. The average apoptotic index (AI) of 20 denatured nuclei was 50.230, the percentage of Fas-positive cells was 74.255%, and the percentage of Bcl-2-positive cells was 55.370%. The average apoptotic index (AI) was 28.317. The percentage of Fas-positive cells, Fas protein-positive cells, and Bcl-2 protein-positive cells in six normal nuclei was 41.717%, 41.717%, and 27.167%, respectively. The average AI value, Fas protein expression, and Bcl-2 protein expression in the two groups were significantly different (P<0.05).


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## Body

## 1. Introduction

As a common disease in orthopedic clinics, it has been shown that lower back pain is a serious health hazard to population and has a significant impact on socioeconomic progress [1, 2]. Although there are many potential causes of lower back pain, lumbar disc degeneration has been recognized as an important factor in the development of lower back pain, and degeneration of human lumbar disc begins at the age of 20, significantly earlier than degeneration of other connecting tissues in the body. The human intervertebral disc connects upper and lower vertebral bodies and allows for a certain degree of mobility between them, while maintaining physiological curvature of spine, subjecting vertebral surfaces to same forces, absorbing shock, and acting as an elastic cushion. To achieve these functions, intervertebral disc must have a special structure. The human intervertebral disc is mainly composed of annulus fibrosus (AF) in outer layer, nucleus pulposus (NP) in central zone, and cartilage end plate (CEP) in upper and lower parts of the disc. It is the largest bloodless structure in body and is mainly through diffusion of the upper and lower cartilage end plates. The nucleus pulposus is mainly composed of a small number of nucleus pulposus cells and their extracellular matrix. The normal extracellular matrix has a complex composition, mainly consisting of proteoglycans, collagen, water, and a small amount of elastin. Proteoglycans make nucleus pulposus elastic by combining with water to resist compressive stress.With accumulation of injury, annulus gradually loses its normal laminar arrangement, while the number of layers of laminae decreases, gap between layers gradually increases, and some fissures appear, and eventually, annulus loses its original structural group, structural changes lead to changes in mechanical properties of annulus, and annulus loses its original elasticity and toughness. With an increase of degeneration, we can usually find radial fissures in posterior or posterolateral part of annulus, which can not restrict nucleus pulposus under stress, thus causing nucleus pulposus to protrude from posterior or posterolateral part of annulus or even prolapse. The protruding or prolapsed nucleus pulposus tissue compresses posterior nerve root, which leads to clinical symptoms of low back pain in patients [3].Since the study of cytokines was extended to the field of intervertebral disc by observing the effect of some cytokines on proliferation of intervertebral disc cells and renewal of extracellular matrix by cell culture method, after years of efforts by many scholars at home and abroad and continuous progress in molecular biology, it has been recognized that nucleus pulposus cells in the nucleus pulposus tissue of patients with lumbar disc degeneration and lumbar disc herniation have a high regulation index and number of cells. The cytokines play an important role in apoptosis of lumbar disc nucleus pulposus cells. It is known that Fas and TNFR can directly mediate myeloid apoptosis, while Bcl-2 can inhibit apoptosis mediated by various pathways; TGF-B, bFGF, and IGF-I can indirectly affect myeloid apoptosis by altering synthesis/degradation balance of extracellular matrix of nucleus pulposus [4].However, specific mechanism of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and herniation is still not well understood, and the study of mechanism of cytokine action on myeloid cell regulation has not yet formed a complete system, and many questions need to be further explored. In this experiment, we attempted to investigate the relationship between the expression of Fas and Bcl-2 in the nucleus pulposus cells and apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells to further elucidate the role of Fas and Bcl-2 in the nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis, intervertebral disc degeneration, and disc herniation and then provide theoretical support for exploring a more rational treatment of lumbar disc herniation.


## 2. Data and Methods

### 2.1. Experimental Specimens and Their Sources

(1)
Experimental group: degenerated lumbar intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus tissue (L3-L5), taken from 20 cases of lumbar disc herniation treated surgically in orthopedic department of our hospital from December 2015 to December 2021, 7 female cases and 13 male cases. The age ranged from 21 to 69 years old, with an average of40.6±12.3 years(2)
Control group: normal lumbar disc tissues (L3-L5) were obtained from disc tissues of patients with severe lumbar fractures in our orthopedic department during same period, 3 males and 3 females. Age ranged from 24 to 56 years, with an average of38±10.5 years


### 2.2. Main Instruments

Fully enclosed automatic dehydration machine (LEICA, Germany), automatic paraffin embedding machine (Germany, LEICA), ZMN-6802 pathological tissue bleaching and drying instrument (Changzhou Huali Electronic Co., Ltd.), RM2245 slicer (Germany, LEICA), BCD-509WD refrigerator (Haier, China), ophthalmic scissors, 18 cm U-shaped stainless steel pressure cooker (China Shunfa), one 1000-1500 w electric oven, high temperature-resistant plastic slicing rack 2 (Fuzhou Maixin), medium-sized, high-quality wolf-hair brush, ophthalmology curved regulator, etc., are the main instruments used in the study.


### 2.3. Main Reagents

Anhydrous alcohol (Hangzhou Changzheng Chemical Factory), xylene (Shanghai Reagent Factory), paraffin wax (Shanghai Hongqi Glass Factory), poly-L-lysine 1 part (Fuzhou Maixin), etc., are the main reagents used in the study.


### 2.4. Judgment Criteria

After HE staining, tissue cells were blue-black in the nucleus, red in the cytoplasm, and light red in the extracellular matrix under a light microscope. The general morphological changes of intervertebral disc were classified into 1-5 levels [5]:Grade 1: normal adolescent intervertebral discGrade 2: normal adult intervertebral discGrade 3: mild degenerationGrade 4: moderate degenerationGrade 5: severe degenerationThe main changes in grades 3-5 were a gradual decrease in cell number with age and degree of degeneration, a decrease in proteoglycan content, and an increase in keratin sulfate content. The collagen content did not change much, but ratio of collagen types changed, with a decrease in type II collagen and an increase in type I collagen. Referring to Thompson’s classification criteria, if neovascularization, vacuolization of cytoplasm of nucleus, cell proliferation, cell clusters or giant cells and thickening of extracellular matrix, distortion, and even fracture are found in the nucleus, nucleus is considered to be degenerated, while Thompson’s grade 1-2 is considered normal. Under a light microscope, normal adult myeloid cells are divided into two types: one type is located in peripheral fossa, which is rich in proteoglycans and surrounded by collagen fibers (type II); other type is now a halo or a single cell surrounded by a few fibers.


### 2.5. Cell Counting Method

The cells were counted and photographed under Y2B-11 light biological microscope with a 400x field of view, nuclei were blue-black for apoptotic cells, and nuclei were light red for normal cells [6]. No less than 200 cells were counted in each slice (no double counting), and average number of apoptotic cells in 100 myeloid cells was calculated as apoptotic index (AI). If a multinucleated giant myeloid cell was encountered, only one cell was counted, and its nucleus was considered apoptotic as long as one of them was basket black, while if all its nuclei were light red, it was considered normal.


### 2.6. Experimental Design

Related information can be seen in Table1. Table 1 contains sample sections and positive (lymphoma) photos of FAS, Bcl-2, and Bcl-2 samples.Table 1
Experimental design.
Number of FAS specimen sections∗Number of sections of Bcl-2 specimens∗Number of Fas- and Bcl-2-positive pairs of photos∗∗ (lymphoma)Number of Fas-/Bcl-2-positive pairs of photos∗∗∗Experimental group (20 cases)404024Control group (6 cases)121221


### 2.7. Statistical Methods

The raw data obtained from experiments were entered into SPSS12.0 software package [7], and positive rates of Fas and Bcl-2 in medullary nuclei of the experimental and control groups were compared by Student’s t-test of ANOVA (independent samples test); the difference between Fas and Bcl-2 expressed in medullary nuclei of specimens (including the experimental and control groups) was analyzed by Fisher’s exact test. The difference between Fas and Bcl-2 protein positivity in specimens (both the experimental and control groups) was analyzed by Fisher’s exact test; the relationship between Fas and Bcl-2 and AI was analyzed by multiple regression analysis, i.e., linear regression analysis. Data were expressed as r+s, and the difference was judged to be statistically significant at P<0.05.


## 2.1. Experimental Specimens and Their Sources

(1)
Experimental group: degenerated lumbar intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus tissue (L3-L5), taken from 20 cases of lumbar disc herniation treated surgically in orthopedic department of our hospital from December 2015 to December 2021, 7 female cases and 13 male cases. The age ranged from 21 to 69 years old, with an average of40.6±12.3 years(2)
Control group: normal lumbar disc tissues (L3-L5) were obtained from disc tissues of patients with severe lumbar fractures in our orthopedic department during same period, 3 males and 3 females. Age ranged from 24 to 56 years, with an average of38±10.5 years


## 2.2. Main Instruments

Fully enclosed automatic dehydration machine (LEICA, Germany), automatic paraffin embedding machine (Germany, LEICA), ZMN-6802 pathological tissue bleaching and drying instrument (Changzhou Huali Electronic Co., Ltd.), RM2245 slicer (Germany, LEICA), BCD-509WD refrigerator (Haier, China), ophthalmic scissors, 18 cm U-shaped stainless steel pressure cooker (China Shunfa), one 1000-1500 w electric oven, high temperature-resistant plastic slicing rack 2 (Fuzhou Maixin), medium-sized, high-quality wolf-hair brush, ophthalmology curved regulator, etc., are the main instruments used in the study.


## 2.3. Main Reagents

Anhydrous alcohol (Hangzhou Changzheng Chemical Factory), xylene (Shanghai Reagent Factory), paraffin wax (Shanghai Hongqi Glass Factory), poly-L-lysine 1 part (Fuzhou Maixin), etc., are the main reagents used in the study.


## 2.4. Judgment Criteria

After HE staining, tissue cells were blue-black in the nucleus, red in the cytoplasm, and light red in the extracellular matrix under a light microscope. The general morphological changes of intervertebral disc were classified into 1-5 levels [5]:Grade 1: normal adolescent intervertebral discGrade 2: normal adult intervertebral discGrade 3: mild degenerationGrade 4: moderate degenerationGrade 5: severe degenerationThe main changes in grades 3-5 were a gradual decrease in cell number with age and degree of degeneration, a decrease in proteoglycan content, and an increase in keratin sulfate content. The collagen content did not change much, but ratio of collagen types changed, with a decrease in type II collagen and an increase in type I collagen. Referring to Thompson’s classification criteria, if neovascularization, vacuolization of cytoplasm of nucleus, cell proliferation, cell clusters or giant cells and thickening of extracellular matrix, distortion, and even fracture are found in the nucleus, nucleus is considered to be degenerated, while Thompson’s grade 1-2 is considered normal. Under a light microscope, normal adult myeloid cells are divided into two types: one type is located in peripheral fossa, which is rich in proteoglycans and surrounded by collagen fibers (type II); other type is now a halo or a single cell surrounded by a few fibers.


## 2.5. Cell Counting Method

The cells were counted and photographed under Y2B-11 light biological microscope with a 400x field of view, nuclei were blue-black for apoptotic cells, and nuclei were light red for normal cells [6]. No less than 200 cells were counted in each slice (no double counting), and average number of apoptotic cells in 100 myeloid cells was calculated as apoptotic index (AI). If a multinucleated giant myeloid cell was encountered, only one cell was counted, and its nucleus was considered apoptotic as long as one of them was basket black, while if all its nuclei were light red, it was considered normal.


## 2.6. Experimental Design

Related information can be seen in Table1. Table 1 contains sample sections and positive (lymphoma) photos of FAS, Bcl-2, and Bcl-2 samples.Table 1
Experimental design.
Number of FAS specimen sections∗Number of sections of Bcl-2 specimens∗Number of Fas- and Bcl-2-positive pairs of photos∗∗ (lymphoma)Number of Fas-/Bcl-2-positive pairs of photos∗∗∗Experimental group (20 cases)404024Control group (6 cases)121221


## 2.7. Statistical Methods

The raw data obtained from experiments were entered into SPSS12.0 software package [7], and positive rates of Fas and Bcl-2 in medullary nuclei of the experimental and control groups were compared by Student’s t-test of ANOVA (independent samples test); the difference between Fas and Bcl-2 expressed in medullary nuclei of specimens (including the experimental and control groups) was analyzed by Fisher’s exact test. The difference between Fas and Bcl-2 protein positivity in specimens (both the experimental and control groups) was analyzed by Fisher’s exact test; the relationship between Fas and Bcl-2 and AI was analyzed by multiple regression analysis, i.e., linear regression analysis. Data were expressed as r+s, and the difference was judged to be statistically significant at P<0.05.


## 3. Results

In the experimental group, all 20 cases had obvious degeneration (see Figure1). Under light microscope, some of degenerated nuclei had neovascularization, vacuolation of cytoplasm of nucleus, cell proliferation, cell clusters or multinucleated giant cells and thickening of extracellular matrix, distortion, and even fracture. In the control group, all 6 cases were normal (see Figure 2), and nuclei of nuclei were isolated in cell traps, with large nuclei, no vacuolation of cytoplasm, and no multinucleated giant cells or cell clusters; extracellular matrix was neatly arranged, without obvious thickening, distortion, and deformation (see in Figures 1 and 2).Figure 1
Degenerative nucleus pulposus (HE staining, ×400).Figure 2
Normal nucleus pulposus tissue (HE staining, ×400).The apoptosis index (AI) of the experimental group was compared with that of the control group by Student’st-test of ANOVA (independent samples test), and the following results were output by arithmetic (as shown in Table 2).Table 2
Apoptotic index of nucleus pulposus cells in degenerated and normal lumbar disc nucleus pulposus tissue(x¯±s).
GroupNumber of cases (n)Apoptosis index (AI)(x¯±s)Degeneration (experimental) group205.230±13.361Normal (control) group628.317±6.661P value0.01The nuclei [8] of the positive cells were basket black (Figure 3), and the nuclei of the normal cells [9] were light red, while no apoptosis-positive cells were seen in negative pairs (only labeling solution was used instead of TUNEL reaction solution) (Figure 4). Therefore, the hypothesis of equality of mean values was rejected, and the regression (experimental) group and normal (control) group showed a significant difference in regression index (x+s), with the regression group being higher than the normal group (see in Figures 3 and 4).Figure 3
TUNEL-positive cells (AEC staining, ×400).Figure 4
TUNEL-negative control (AEC staining, ×400).Positive controls were selected from paraffin sections of pathologically confirmed lymphoma, and PBS was used as a negative control instead of primary antibody. It was observed that there were more positive cells with brownish yellow granules in the nucleus and cell pulp in positive pairs (see Figures5 and 6). The positive pairs of photographs showed positive results, which indicated that the quality of reagents was reliable and experimental procedure was correct, and possibility of false negatives was excluded. On the other hand, no positive stained cells were found on photographs of negative pairs (see Figures 7 and 8), which showed negative results [9]. This indicates that positive results of this experiment are reliable and possibility of false positive can be excluded.Figure 5
Bcl-2-positive control (lymphoma DAB staining, ×400).Figure 6
Fas-positive control (lymphoma DAB staining, ×400).Figure 7
Bcl-2-negative control (DAB staining, ×400).Figure 8
Fas-negative control (DAB staining, ×400).Fas was mainly expressed in cytoplasm and on cell membrane and was also more obviously expressed in the nucleus, which appeared brownish yellow granular under DAB staining (see Figure9). The positive expression rate of Fas in the nucleus pulposus of lumbar intervertebral disc in the degenerated (experimental) group was 74.255+10.153%, and the positive expression rate of Fas in the nucleus pulposus of the normal (control) group was 41.717 to 4.623%, with P<0.01 (see Table 3). Bcl-2 was mainly expressed in cytoplasm and/or on nucleus, with brownish yellow granular staining at corresponding sites (see Figure 10). The positive rate of Bcl-2 expression in the nucleus pulposus of lumbar disc was 55.370+13.647% in the degenerated (experimental) group and 27.167−5.173% in the nucleus pulposus of the normal (control) group, with P<0.01 (as in Table 3). The experimental group was significantly higher than the control group.Figure 9
Fas-positive cells (DAB staining, ×400).Table 3
Expression rates of Fas and Bcl-2 proteins in nucleus pulposus cells in degenerated and normal lumbar disc nucleus pulposus tissues(x¯±s).
Independent samples testGroupNumber of cases (n)Fas-positive cells (%)Bcl-2-positive cells (%)Degeneration (experimental) group2074.255±10.1535.230±13.361Normal (control) group641.717±4.62327.167±5.173P value<0.01Figure 10
BC-2-positive cells (DAB staining, ×400).The difference between the positive rate of Fas and Bcl-2 protein expressed by the nucleus pulposus cells in the lumbar disc tissue in the experimental group was >18% in 11 cases and <18% in 9 cases, while 6 cases in the control group were <18%. The difference between the two was significant (see Table4). The difference between the positive rate of Fas and Bcl-2 proteins expressed in the experimental group (degenerated lumbar disc) was considered significantly higher than that in the control group (normal lumbar disc).Table 4
Fisher’s exact test for the difference between the positive rate of Fas and Bcl-2 proteins expressed in the lumbar disc nucleus pulposus cells.
Number of casesFas-Bcl-2 (%)≥18<18TotalExperimental group11920Control group066Total111526Q-value0.0237The relationship between Fas and Bcl-2 proteins expressed in myeloid cells and apoptosis index (AI) was analyzed by multiple linear regression [10] (i.e., linear regression), and a multiple linear regression equation [11] was obtained: y=0.671X1−0.124X2+6.419, where y represents apoptosis index (AI) of myeloid cells and X1 and X2 represent positive rates of cell expression of Fas and Bcl-2 proteins in myeloid tissue, respectively. Since ANOVA of regression equation yielded P=0.002, <0.01, which means that coefficients in regression equation were not zero, regression equation was considered to be significant. The squared value of correlation coefficient of this equation was 0.418, indicating that two independent variables together could explain 41.8% of variability of dependent variable, and thus, it could be concluded that Fas protein could promote myeloid apoptosis, and its expression was positively correlated with severity of myeloid apoptosis, and correlation was strong; Bcl-2 protein could inhibit myeloid apoptosis, and its expression was negatively correlated with severity of myeloid apoptosis. The expression of Bcl-2 protein inhibited myeloid apoptosis, and correlation was not strong.


## 4. Discussion

At present, it is generally believed that degeneration of intervertebral disc tissue is one of main causes of low back pain. Although many scholars have done a lot of research on prevention and treatment methods, and to a certain extent can alleviate clinical symptoms caused by disc degeneration, they have failed to fundamentally correct or prevent occurrence of disc degeneration. With rapid development of molecular biology, immunology, and other related disciplines, new technologies and methods have emerged to provide a deeper understanding of mechanisms of low back pain, which in turn has led to exploration of new methods to prevent or reverse disc tissue degeneration [12, 13].The physiological activity of surviving cells also decreases with age and degeneration of disc tissue. The decrease in cell number or cell activity leads to changes in structure and composition of extracellular matrix (collagen and proteoglycans); conversely, changes in extracellular matrix also affect physiological activity of nucleus pulposus cells, which in turn affects normal physiological function of disc cells. In the process of intervertebral disc tissue degeneration, percentage of dead cells in nucleus pulposus cells gradually increases from 2% in embryonic stage to more than 50% in adults. [14–16] found that FasAPO-1 could be expressed in cartilage-like cells of lumbar intervertebral disc and had a high expression rate in degenerated lumbar intervertebral disc tissues. Tissue cells with high expression of FasAPO-1 protein may undergo hyperapoptosis, thus disrupting dynamic balance of cell proliferation and apoptosis, which may be one of reasons for degeneration of intervertebral disc tissues. In degenerating disc tissue, disc cells may mediate onset of apoptosis through autocrine or paracrine Fas/FasL secretion.The detailed mechanisms underlying degeneration of disc tissue are not well understood. Since the concept of apoptosis was introduced, many scholars have studied this phenomenon in depth and have speculated that apoptosis may be involved in development of disc tissue degeneration. Apoptosis is a process of autonomous cell death during growth and development, cell differentiation, and/or pathological states and is a genetically controlled cellular suicide process caused by physiological or nonphysiological factors. This phenomenon is widespread in many physiological and pathological processes and is distinct from cell necrosis. The morphological characteristics of apoptosis are summarized as follows: in early stage of apoptosis, nuclear chromatin density increases, and nucleolus is gathered in a crescent shape under nuclear membrane, nucleolus breaks down, and nuclear volume becomes smaller. The cells become round, lose their special cell surface structures such as microvilli and cell junctions, and become separated from adjacent tissues. The cytoplasm is concentrated, organelles accumulate and increase in density, and endoplasmic reticulum expands and fuses with cell membrane, but mitochondrial morphology remains normal [17–21].Then, nucleus disintegrates into fragments, cytoplasm protrudes outward into a vacuole, and cytosolic membrane invaginates, dividing cell into several dense vesicles surrounded by membrane-apoptotic vesicles, with their inner fragments and preserved organelles. Finally, these apoptotic vesicles are phagocytosed by neighboring cells or macrophages and progress to degradation. Since this death process does not lead to lysosomal or cytosolic rupture, no cellular contents are leaked, and therefore, no inflammatory response is induced. Because of a special type of DNA degradation during apoptosis, a series of signaling reactions occur in apoptotic cells, including new RNA transcription and protein synthesis, as well as chromatin DNA degradation by nucleic acid endonucleases, resulting in a number of oligonucleic acid fragments of different sizes, which are composed of 180-200 bp fragments of different multiples. Horseradish peroxidase-coupled anti-fluorescein antibody-labeled dUTP was ligated to broken end of DNA strand using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), and then, horseradish peroxidase-based color development system was used to visualize dead cells. In this study, this TdT-mediated in situ end-labeling method (TUNEL) was used to detect apoptosis in normal human intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus cells of different ages and to analyze mechanism of intervertebral disc tissue degeneration.The results of this experiment showed that Fas was mainly expressed in cytosol and nucleus of nucleus pulposus of lumbar discs, and expression rate of Fas in nucleus pulposus of degenerated lumbar discs was higher than that of normal discs, and there were statistically significant differences. These are consistent with the results of the above studies. It was also found that Bc1-2 was mainly expressed in cytoplasm and nucleus of nucleus pulposus cells, but expression rate of Bc1-2 in nucleus pulposus cells of degenerated lumbar discs was higher than that of nucleus pulposus cells of normal discs, and there was a significant difference between the two. By statistical analysis, it was concluded that the difference between positive rate of Fas and Bcl-2 protein expressed in the experimental group (degenerated lumbar disc nucleus pulposus) was significantly higher than that in the control group (normal lumbar disc). It can be concluded that proregulatory effect of Fas protein on lumbar disc nucleus pulposus cells is stronger than the protective effect of Bcl-2 protein on nucleus pulposus cells, thus causing nucleus pulposus cells to tend to apoptosis.In addition, analysis showed that Fas protein could promote apoptosis of myeloid cells, and its expression was positively correlated with severity of apoptosis of myeloid cells, and correlation was strong; Bcl-2 protein could inhibit regulation of myeloid cells, and its expression was negatively correlated with severity of apoptosis of myeloid cells, but correlation was not strong. Therefore, we speculate that upregulation of Fas expression may have induced regulation of intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus cells, and upregulation of Bcl2 responsive expression inhibited effect of cell regulation. However, it may be due to insensitivity of nucleus pulposus cells to stimulatory signal of Bcl-2 or interruption of stimulatory signal transduction; or it may be due to stronger proregulatory effect of Fas than inhibitory effect of Bcl-2, which eventually led to development of nucleus pulposus cells toward direction of regulation.



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*Source: 8103595-2023-02-09.xml*