Salubrinal Suppresses IL-17-Induced Upregulation of MMP-13 and Extracellular Matrix Degradation Through the NF-kB Pathway in Human Nucleus Pulposus Cells

Matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13) plays an important role in the process of pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). This study examined the effect of IL-17 on the regulation of MMP-13 and the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the intervertebral disc (IVD). We then examined whether salubrinal, a known inhibitor of eIF2 alpha dephosphorylation, inhibited the IL-17-induced changes mentioned above. Furthermore, we demonstrated a potential therapeutic role for salubrinal in alleviating the chronic inflammatory-dependent degenerative state commonly observed in IDD. After inflammatory distress with IL-17, RT-PCR and western blot were employed to investigate the expression of MMP-13, collagen type II (COL2A1), collagen type I (COL1A1), and aggrecan (ACAN) in nucleus pulpous (NP) tissue. Activation of the NF-kB pathway was measured by western blot and immunocytochemistry following IL-17 treatment. We also examine the level of eIF2 alpha phosphorylation after IL-17 treatment with or without salubrinal. Then, we investigated interactions of the NF-kB pathway to eIF2 alpha phosphorylation. Moreover, we employed salubrinal and a specific inhibitor of NF-kB (BAY11-7082) to evaluate their effects on IL-17-driven regulation of MMP-13 and the ECM, as well as on the activation of NF-kB. The results showed that IL-17 increased the production of MMP-13 and decreased expression of COL2A1 and ACAN via the NF-kB pathway. Either IL-17 or salubrinal increased the level of eIF2 alpha phosphorylation, but the effects of BAY11-7082 on the level of p-eIF2 alpha were not detectable. BAY11-7082 and salubrinal significantly suppressed IL-17-driven intervertebral disc degeneration. Furthermore, salubrinal produced stronger effects than BAY11-7082. These results imply the potential involvement of IL-17 in IDD through activation of NF-kB signaling, which successively upregulated the expression of MMP-13 and led to the degradation of the ECM. Furthermore, salubrinal can inhibit this process through inhibition of NF-kB activation that is not directly linked to eIF2 alpha phosphorylation, suggesting a potential therapeutic role in IDD.