Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) Expression and Stimulation in a Model of Intervertebral Disc Inflammation and Degeneration

This study provides the first evidence that IVD cells express TLR4 and are responsive to TLR4 activation by upregulating a coordinated set of inflammatory cytokines. This study suggests that intradiscal injection of LPS offers a model for triggering inflammation of the IVD, demonstrating that inflammatory insults alone may potentially trigger degenerative changes of the IVD.