Evidence mapPaperPMID 42327384Full record

ArticleJOR spine2026

Pre-Conditioned Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Derived Secretome Exerts an Anti-Inflammatory Effect on Degenerative Nucleus Pulposus Cells In Vitro.

Veronica Tilotta, Gianluca Vadalà, Luca Ambrosio, Giuseppina Di Giacomo, Claudia Cicione, Fabrizio Russo, Rocco Papalia, Vincenzo Denaro

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Article in JOR spine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Veronica TilottaLaboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Operative Research Unit of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Rome Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2233-8171
Gianluca VadalàLaboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Operative Research Unit of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Rome Italy.
Luca AmbrosioLaboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Operative Research Unit of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Rome Italy.
Giuseppina Di GiacomoLaboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Operative Research Unit of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Rome Italy.
Claudia CicioneLaboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Operative Research Unit of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Rome Italy.
Fabrizio RussoLaboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Operative Research Unit of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Rome Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8566-8952
Rocco PapaliaLaboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Operative Research Unit of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Rome Italy.
Vincenzo DenaroLaboratory for Regenerative Orthopaedics, Operative Research Unit of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Rome Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is frequently associated with chronic low back pain (LBP), which contributes significantly to disability, psychological distress, and reduced work capacity. Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-based treatments may offer a promising, less invasive alternative to conventional treatments for IDD. The MSC secretome has shown regenerative potential through paracrine and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the effects of the secretome isolated from interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-preconditioned bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) on human nucleus pulposus cells (hNPCs) adopting a 3D in vitro culture model. Methods: The secretome (BM-MSCsec) was collected from BM-MSCs preconditioned with 10 ng/mL IL-1β. hNPCs were isolated, expanded, encapsulated in alginate beads, and stimulated with IL-1β to mimic a pro-inflammatory environment. These cells were then treated with either standard culture media (control group), IL-1β alone, BM-MSCsec, or IL-1β + BM-MSCsec. We evaluated cell proliferation and viability via flow cytometry, nitrite and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels using the H2DCFDA assay, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content with the 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue assay, gene expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) components and inflammatory markers via qPCR, and cell senescence through Western blot and β-galactosidase staining. Results: IL-1β stimulation increased hNPC proliferation, nitrite release, ROS production, catabolic and inflammatory gene expression, and cell senescence. Treatment with BM-MSCsec attenuated these effects, restoring proliferation to baseline levels, significantly reducing ROS and nitrite accumulation. BM-MSCsec also upregulated anabolic genes ( Conclusions: Our findings support the potential of BM-MSCsec as a cell-free therapeutic strategy for IDD. The IL-1β-preconditioned secretome reduced hNPC death and senescence, mitigated inflammation and oxidative stress, and promoted ECM preservation, highlighting its potential to counteract key processes driving IDD.

Indexed as

disc degenerationlow back painmesenchymal stromal cellsregenerationsecretomespine

Identifiers

PMID42327384
PMCPMC13282689

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.