Induction of Lumbar Disc Degeneration in Rabbits Through a Transabdominal Approach
Summary
Here, we describe a surgical protocol using needle puncture to establish rabbit lumbar disc degeneration via a transabdominal approach. Radiological checks and histological analyses were used to confirm the successful establishment of lumbar disc degeneration.
Abstract
Lower back pain is an extremely common medical issue in populations worldwide. One of the main contributors to lower back pain is intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. An ideal animal model of IVD degeneration is essential to study the pathophysiology of lower back pain and investigate potential therapeutic strategies. Rabbit models are reliable, economical, and easily established animal models. The retroperitoneal approach has been widely used to induce IVD degeneration in rabbit models. However, there are reported complications associated with this technique, such as the avulsion of segmental arteries and nerve root injury. In this paper, we aim to show a surgical protocol using needle puncture to establish rabbit lumbar disc degeneration via a transabdominal approach. Consequently, radiological checks and histological analyses indicated that lumbar disc degeneration was successfully established in rabbits. This surgical protocol presents the precise location of target discs and high reproducibility of IVD degeneration models with fewer complications.
Introduction
Lower back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide1. Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IVDD) is one of the main causes of LBP2,3,4. IVDD is a complex and incompletely understood multifactorial process that can be accelerated by different environmental and biological factors5,6,7. The pathological changes of IVDD are characterized by a disorganized IVD structure, reduced water content in the nucleus pulposus, and degradation of the surrounding extracellular matrix8,9. IVDD animal models are important for IVD-related studies9,10,11.
So far, various IVDD animal models have been established to mimic the progression of IVDD in humans. Large animals, such as bovine, sheep, goats, canine, and primate models, share some similarities with humans in terms of disc size and the cellular composition of the degenerated disc (the absence of notochordal cells, such as sheep and goats)12. However, these large models are not commonly used because of the high cost, long experimental period, poor reproducibility, and more complicated skills required to establish degeneration in these models13. By contrast, small animal models, such as rats, mice, and rabbits, are widely used in IVD-related studies because they are easier to operate on, cost-effective, and reliable10. The disc size in a rabbit is bigger than a mouse or rat, and thus, there is more disc space for manipulation in rabbits. In addition, rabbits have a high degree of homology to human IVDs, because of the similar spinal anatomical structure (facet joints, paravertebral muscles, and ligaments)14,15. Hence, rabbits are more suitable than other small animals for the establishment of IVDD models.
IVDD animal models include mechanical models (compression, instability), structural models (injury, chemical), and animal models of spontaneous degeneration16. Rabbit IVDD models are usually created by inducing injury using two different surgical approaches – the transabdominal approach17and the retroperitoneal approach18. The retroperitoneal approach of needle puncturing the target IVDs is widely used, but this approach can cause many complications, such as the avulsion of segmental arteries and nerve root injury18,19. Here, we report a rabbit IVDD model induced by needle puncturing IVDs via a transabdominal approach, aiming to provide an easy and reproducible method for establishing IVDD in rabbits.
Protocol
Representative Results
Discussion
The critical steps in this protocol are the protection of the abdominal organs, the identification of the target discs, and the position and direction of the needle. The L5-6 IVD is just below the bifurcation of the iliac vein, and the L6-7 IVD is identified based on the position parallel to the iliac crest. These two markers enable precise positioning of the intervertebral disc and improve the accuracy and repeatability of surgery – which is one of the major advantages of the transabdominal approach. When the needle pun…
Disclosures
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (No. H2021108006).
Materials
| #22 scalpel blade | Huaiyin MEDICAL Instruments Co., Ltd. | AA6468 | None |
| 16-G needle, 26-G needle | Zhejiang Kangkang MEDICAL-DEVICES Co., Ltd. | 305111 | None |
| 3-0 absorbable suture | Huaiyin MEDICAL Instruments Co., Ltd. | V500431 | None |
| 4-0 non-absorbable braided suture | Huaiyin MEDICAL Instruments Co., Ltd. | R413 | None |
| 5 mL syringe, 1 mL syringe | Zhejiang Kangkang MEDICAL-DEVICES Co., Ltd. | 301942 | None |
| Double-ended handheld retractor | Huaiyin MEDICAL Instruments Co., Ltd. | 60002066 | None |
| Midazolam | Yichang Humanwell Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. | M-908CAS | None |
| Needle holder | Huaiyin MEDICAL Instruments Co., Ltd. | HC00505336 | None |
| Peanut gauze | In-house | None | Hand-made ball-shaped gauze |
| Rabbit | Tonghui ulture Limited Liability Company | SCXK2016–002 | None |
| Scalpel handle | Huaiyin MEDICAL Instruments Co., Ltd. | AM5100678 | None |
| Stopper | In-house | None | Depth of 5 mm |
| Tissue scissors | Huaiyin MEDICAL Instruments Co., Ltd. | HC00505422 | None |
| Vaporizer | Apollo Management L.P. | BW-AM503 | None |
| Vessel clamp/forceps | Huaiyin MEDICAL Instruments Co., Ltd. | AM5102194 | None |
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