MMP7 in the Reabsorption of Lumbar Disc Herniation

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-829-5_7How to use a DOI?

Keywords

lumbar disc herniation; resorption; MMP-7; extracellular matrix

Abstract

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) has become a widespread health issue, increasingly affecting even younger individuals. The condition often results in pain and neurological impairments, with some cases undergoing spontaneous resorption, where the herniated disc material decreases or disappears without surgical intervention. The role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), macrophages, and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, has gained significant attention. This review focuses on MMP-7’s role in LDH resorption, a process largely governed by inflammatory cascades triggered by macrophage infiltration and ECM degradation. MMP-7, a key enzyme in this process, is involved in promoting the release of TNF-α, which further induces MMP-3 production in chondrocytes, facilitating the breakdown of the ECM. MMP-7 has a more significant impact than MMP-3 on both the infiltration of macrophages and the resorption of the disc, suggesting its crucial role in mediating these processes. Additionally, MMP-7, unlike MMP-3, does not directly affect TNF-α synthesis but strongly influences TNF-α release through macrophage-chondrocyte communication. The review highlights the importance of MMP-7 in LDH resorption and suggest potential therapeutic avenues for managing this condition, including the use of recombinant MMP-7 and stem cell-based therapies.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Haochen Luo
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/08/28
TI  - MMP7 in the Reabsorption of Lumbar Disc Herniation
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Chemical Engineering and Biological Science (CEBS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 52
EP  - 62
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-829-5_7
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-829-5_7
ID  - Luo2025
ER  -