Intervertebral disc (IVD) related diseases and age-related IVD degeneration are responsible for significant morbidity. Inflammatory mediators and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-17, show elevated expression in degenerated disc tissue. IL-17 is reported to transduce signals across the cell membrane predominantly via the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signal transduction pathway, leading to transcriptional activation of target genes.

In this study, we investigated whether the JAK/STAT pathway plays a role in IL-17-mediated signaling in the nucleus pulposus (NP) cells of IVDs. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and IL-17 were found to be highly expressed in human degenerated NP tissue. In isolated rat NP cells, IL-17-induced VEGF expression in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Rat NP cells were co-transfected with VEGF promoter plasmid along with constitutively active STAT1, STAT3 or JAK2 plasmid. VEGF promoter activity was found to be increased by STAT1, STAT3 and JAK2 in IL-17-treated cells. Transfection of cultured rat NP cells with STAT1 or STAT3 lentiviral short hairpin RNAs or treatment with the JAK2 inhibitor AG490 significantly reduced IL-17-stimulated VEGF expression.

IL-17 upregulated VEGF expression in rat NP cells mediated by the JAK/STAT pathway, and elevated levels of IL-17 and VEGF are present in human degenerated NP tissue. These findings provide new insight into the pathology of IVD degeneration.