Oxidative/Nitrosative Stress in Patients With Modic Changes: Preliminary Controlled Study.

Abstract Oxidative/nitrosative stress in vertebral endplates of patients with low back pain and Modic changes (MCs) (types I, II, and III) endplate changes on magnetic resonance imaging. The aim of this study was to assess the levels of oxidative/nitrosative stress biomarkers in patients with MCs. Degenerated discs and endplate abnormalities is postulated as a possible source of low back pain. Oxidative/nitrosative stress plays an important the role in various human diseases. However, the presence of oxidative/nitrosative stress has not been studied in patients with low back pain and endplate changes on magnetic resonance imaging. Patients with MCI, II, and III (n = 32) and age- and sex-matched controls subjects (n = 15) were enrolled in this study. Also, 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) and nitric oxide levels as nitrosative stress biomarkers were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Also, the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) as oxidative stress biomarkers were determined on spectrophotometer. Oxidative/nitrosative stress was confirmed by the significant elevation in nitric oxide, 3-NT, MDA and decreased of CAT and SOD activities in MCI compared with other MCs and the control group (P 0.05). However, the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with MCIII were slightly higher than that of the control group (P