Collagens in the injured porcine intervertebral disc

Spinal pain often is thought to be due to degeneration and mechanical failure of the intervertebral disc. Since the mechanical strength of the tissue depends on collagen fibers, the present study was designed to investigate the reactions in collagen metabolism after an experimentally induced disc injury. Five domestic pigs underwent an incision in the anterior part of the annulus fibrosus of disc L4-L5 through a retroperitoneal approach. The animals were killed 3 months postoperatively, and the injured discs and intact discs (controls) from different animals were removed for chemical analysis. Slices were cut from seven different parts across the disc. The concentration of total collagen (h…