Millions of people around the world live with chronic low back pain. This type of pain can last for years and make everyday activities hard.
Until now, treatments have mostly focused on reducing pain with medications or surgery. But these don’t fix the root cause of the problem.
Now, researchers at McGill University have found a promising new way to treat back pain. In a study published in Science Advances, they showed that two drugs could help get rid of “zombie cells” in the spine of mice.
These zombie cells, also called senescent cells, are old and damaged cells that don’t die like they should. Instead, they stick around and release harmful substances that cause pain, swelling, and damage in the spine.
The research was led by Professor Lisbet Haglund from McGill and the Montreal General Hospital. Her team tested two drugs. The first was RG-7112, a cancer drug already approved by the FDA. The second was o-Vanillin, a natural compound with anti-inflammatory properties found in turmeric.
The drugs were given by mouth to mice for eight weeks. Both drugs helped remove zombie cells from the spinal disks, reduced pain and swelling, and even slowed or reversed disk damage. When the two drugs were used together, the effects were even stronger.
This discovery is exciting because spinal disks are hard to treat. They are located deep in the body, and it’s difficult for medicine to reach them. Professor Haglund said her team was surprised that a pill could reach the spinal disks and help them heal.
Interestingly, o-Vanillin was not originally planned as a major part of the study. The researchers added it just to see if it might help—and it turned out to be very effective. This is the first time o-Vanillin has been shown to clear zombie cells in this way.
RG-7112 has already shown potential for treating other diseases linked to zombie cells, like arthritis and cancer. This study is the first to test it on chronic back pain, and the results suggest that zombie-cell-clearing drugs could help treat many age-related conditions, including arthritis and osteoporosis.
Next, the research team plans to improve the chemical structure of o-Vanillin so that it stays in the body longer and works better. They also want to start human trials to see if these drugs work the same way in people. While more testing is needed, these early results are very hopeful.
In short, this new research could change the way we treat chronic back pain. Instead of just hiding the pain, the new drugs may remove the cells that cause it. If this works in humans, it could lead to safer and longer-lasting treatments for millions of people living with pain every day.
If you care about pain, please read studies about Chronic morphine use for cancer pain may increase bone loss and findings of Scientists find a new hope for chronic pain.
If you care about pain, please read studies about What you need to know about diabetes and joint pain and findings of Understanding the connection between liver disease and joint pain.
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