Lower back pain is a common issue that affects around 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lives. Researchers are now exploring a potential solution in an existing drug called Navitoclax, which targets a specific type of aging cell known as a senescent cell.
This recent study, published in eLife, highlights how eliminating these cells might help reduce back pain.
What Are Senescent Cells?
Senescent cells are essentially aged or damaged cells that stop dividing but don’t die off as they should. These cells can accumulate over time, especially as we get older, and they’re often linked to age-related diseases.
In this study, scientists focused on a specific type of senescent cell called a senescent osteoclast. Osteoclasts are cells responsible for breaking down old or damaged bone tissue as part of the body’s normal bone maintenance process.
However, when osteoclasts become senescent, they no longer function as they should. Instead of supporting healthy bone remodeling, these aged cells can contribute to problems like osteoporosis and lower back pain.
According to Dayu Pan, the lead author of the study, these malfunctioning osteoclasts can create porous areas in the bone between vertebrae, called endplates. When these endplates become porous, it allows new nerves to grow into the area, leading to pain.
Testing Navitoclax in Mice
To understand the role of senescent osteoclasts, the research team examined mice with spine issues related to aging and unstable lower backs. They found that mice with more senescent osteoclasts showed more severe spine degeneration and increased sensitivity to pain.
Next, the researchers tested Navitoclax, a drug known for its ability to target and eliminate senescent cells. They wanted to see if it could reduce the number of senescent osteoclasts and, in turn, lessen pain in the mice.
The results were promising: after treatment with Navitoclax, the mice had fewer senescent osteoclasts, experienced less pain, and became more active.
Further analysis showed that the drug also helped reduce bone degeneration and porosity in the endplates. This is important because less porous endplates mean there is less chance for new nerves to grow into the area, which could help alleviate pain.
Exploring Nerve Growth and Blood Vessels
The study didn’t just focus on the physical condition of the bones. It also looked at how senescent osteoclasts might encourage the growth of nerves and blood vessels within the endplate bone.
The results showed that mice treated with Navitoclax had fewer new nerves and blood vessels in the bone, which suggests that eliminating senescent osteoclasts could help lower sensitivity in the spine.
What This Means for Future Treatments
These findings suggest that drugs targeting senescent cells, like Navitoclax, could offer a new way to manage lower back pain.
By focusing on eliminating the senescent osteoclasts that contribute to spinal degeneration and nerve growth, this treatment could address some of the root causes of pain.
However, while these results in mice are encouraging, the researchers caution that more work is needed. The next step is to test this approach in humans to see if it’s both safe and effective. Clinical trials will be necessary before doctors can consider this treatment for patients with back pain.
The Road Ahead
This study opens up the possibility of using existing drugs in new ways to treat common conditions like lower back pain. By targeting the underlying causes rather than just managing symptoms, these findings could lead to more effective and longer-lasting treatments in the future.
If you’re interested in learning more about pain management, you might want to explore other recent studies, like one that found a new drug for chronic nerve pain or another that uncovered a less-invasive approach to tackling knee pain.
There are also new insights into why people with red hair respond differently to pain and how a drug might relieve symptoms in people dealing with “long COVID” pain.
The full research can be found in the journal eLife.
If you care about pain, please read studies about how to manage your back pain, and Krill oil could improve muscle health in older people.
For more information about pain, please see recent studies about how to live pain-free with arthritis, and results showing common native American plant may help reduce diarrhea and pain.
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