Unique RNA Gene Expression Profile Is Seen in Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain

Sannes, Ann-ChristinAmjad, ImranDuehr, JennaGhani, UsmanRice, DavidHaavik, HeidiNiazi, Imran KhanMoberget, TorgeirGjerstad, Johannes2026-01-062026-01-062025-12-27International Journal of Molecular Sciences, ISSN: 1661-6596 (Print); 1422-0067 (Online), MDPI AG, 27(1), 287-287. doi: 10.3390/ijms270102871661-65961422-0067http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20436Previous 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.© 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.3101 Biochemistry and Cell Biology31 Biological Sciences3404 Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry34 Chemical Sciences3107 MicrobiologyBack PainClinical ResearchPain ResearchChronic PainGeneticsNeurological0399 Other Chemical Sciences0604 Genetics0699 Other Biological SciencesChemical Physics3101 Biochemistry and cell biology3107 Microbiology3404 Medicinal and biomolecular chemistrylow back painRNA sequencingsensitizationinflammationUnique RNA Gene Expression Profile Is Seen in Chronic Non-Specific Low Back PainJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.3390/ijms27010287