The role of TNF-α、IL-1β in the sciatica pain of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation

Objective To study the pathophysiologic mechanisms of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)、interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the sciatica pain of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.Methods Twenty-three herniated lumbar disc tissues were obtained from twenty-three patients undergoing surgery for persistent radiculopathy.The lumbar tissue were incubated in 1640 medium in vitro.After 72 hours of incubation with or without TNF-α and IL-1β,the content of PGE2 in incubation medium were measured with enzymlinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results The concentration of PGE2 increased markedly with the addition of TNF-α and IL-1β(P0.05).Conclusion TNF-αand IL-1βmay be involved in the pathophysiology of sciatica pain through stimulating the production of PGE2.