Unique RNA Gene Expression Profile Is Seen in Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain
Date
Authors
Sannes, Ann-Christin
Amjad, Imran
Duehr, Jenna
Ghani, Usman
Rice, David
Haavik, Heidi
Niazi, Imran Khan
Moberget, Torgeir
Gjerstad, Johannes
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Journal Article
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MDPI AG
Abstract
Previous reports suggest that the progression from subacute to chronic non-specific low back pain (nsLBP) involves functional changes in both the nervous and immune systems. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the gene expression profiles of circulating immune cells that affect the interaction between these two systems when subacute nsLBP turns into chronic nsLBP. Participants aged 18–55 were included based on the presence or duration of LBP, with peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected for RNA sequencing from 20 healthy controls (no nsLBP), 20 subclinical patients (intermittent nsLBP), and 19 chronic patients (long-term nsLBP). The data revealed that chronic nsLBP is linked to a distinct gene expression profile, with 139 uniquely differentially expressed genes (DEGs), differing from those in the subclinical and control groups. Interestingly, comparing chronic and subclinical groups showed minimal overlap in DEGs, indicating a clear inflammatory distinction between subclinical nsLBP and chronic nsLBP. The findings also indicated that patients with chronic nsLBP were different from other individuals regarding axon guidance, indicating neuroplastic changes when intermittent nsLBP turns into chronic nsLBP. Hence, early recognition of the transition from subclinical to chronic nsLBP using RNA profiling may pave the way for more precise therapeutic strategies targeting neuroplastic changes and inflammatory processes.Description
Keywords
3101 Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 31 Biological Sciences, 3404 Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry, 34 Chemical Sciences, 3107 Microbiology, Back Pain, Clinical Research, Pain Research, Chronic Pain, Genetics, Neurological, 0399 Other Chemical Sciences, 0604 Genetics, 0699 Other Biological Sciences, Chemical Physics, 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology, 3107 Microbiology, 3404 Medicinal and biomolecular chemistry, low back pain, RNA sequencing, sensitization, inflammation
Source
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, ISSN: 1661-6596 (Print); 1422-0067 (Online), MDPI AG, 27(1), 287-287. doi: 10.3390/ijms27010287
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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.