Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: From Pathogenesis to Therapeutic Target

Figure 1

The occurrence of mitochondrial dysfunction in IVD cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction in IVD cells primarily originates from the effects of aberrant microenvironment within the disc including mechanical compression, proinflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, nutrition deprivation, and high glucose. These pathological conditions induce ATP depletion, mtROS overproduction, Ca²⁺ imbalance, loss of Δψm, and impairment of mitochondrial quality control, involved in multiple cellular events.