Mechanical Compression Affects Nutritional Transport in Human Intervertebral Disc

Although the exact cause is not clear, low back pain has been attributed to degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) of the spine, which has been linked to poor nutritional supply to the disc. Because the IVD is the largest avascular structure in the human body, disc cells must rely on diffusional transport for delivery of important nutrients, such as oxygen and glucose, from the surrounding vasculature. Thus, understanding factors affecting nutritional supply to the cells is important in elucidating the etiology of disc degeneration and related back pain. While knowledge of how mechanical strain affects nutritional transport is important in understanding these phenomena, little can be found in the literature regarding strain-dependent diffusion of nutrients in human IVD.