Sesamin inhibits lipopolysaccharide induced inflammation and extracellular matrix catabolism in rat intervertebral disc

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration contributes to most spine degenerative diseases, while treatment retarding IVD degeneration is still in the experiment stage. Sesamin, a bioactive component extracted from sesame, has been reported to exert chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Here, we analyzed anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic effects of sesamin on rat intervertebral disc in vitro and ex vivo. Results show that sesamin significantly inhibits the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced expression of catabolic enzymes (MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5), inflammation factors (IL-1β, TNF-α, iNOS, NO, COX-2, PGE2) in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. It is also proven that migration of macrophage induced by LPS can be inhibited by treatment of sesamin. Organ culture experiments demonstrate that sesamin protects disc from LPS induced depletion of extracellular matrix ex vivo. Moreover, sesamin suppresses LPS induced activation of MAPK pathway through inhibiting phosphorylation of JNK, which may be potential mechanism of the effects of sesamin. In light of our results, sesamin protects intervertebral disc from inflammation and extracellular matrix catabolism, exhibiting broad prospects in treatment of intervertebral disc degenerative diseases.