The Role of Oxidative Stress in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Figure 3

(1) NF-κB signalling pathway. First, ROS/RNS regulates NF-κB activity, including activating the NF-κB signalling pathway and promoting inflammatory gene transcription. In addition, ROS/RNS plays an indispensable role in the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and its oxidation of TRX causes TRX-interacting protein to bind to NLRP3, eventually producing IL-β. (2) MAPK signalling pathway. ROS/RNS triggers oxidation of TRX-interacting protein, leading to apoptosis signal-regulating kinase dissociation and activation of JNK and p38 pathways through multimerization of the apoptosis signal-regulating kinase, and activates the ERK1/2 pathway. Ultimately, ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 promote gene transcription, ultimately inducing IL-β production.