Mucin gel may help patients with herniated disc after surgery

Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a gel inspired by cow drool for patients with herniated discs. By adding the mucin gel immediately after surgery, it is possible to create a protective barrier around the discs to prevent the immune system from attacking their nucleus pulposus. This helps keep the discs intact and reduces the risk of further damage.

“This new approach offers hope to people suffering from back pain caused by a herniated disc and may prevent further damage after herniated discs are removed, potentially improving patients’ quality of life,” says Hongji Yan, a researcher at the Department of Medical Cell Biology at Uppsala University and AIMES (Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences) at Karolinska Institutet, whose study was published in Advanced sciences.

Herniated discs are a common problem that can cause severe pain and impaired spinal function. Many people require surgical removal of herniated discs to relieve pressure on the nerves in the spine. After surgery, most patients are treated with anti-inflammatory medications or steroid injections to manage pain and swelling.

However, there is no treatment yet that stops the immune system from attacking the remaining disc tissue, which can worsen the injury and cause more pain. This highlights a gap in postoperative care for herniated discs, where new treatments that focus on controlling the immune response could help improve recovery and reduce long-term pain.

Currently, most research focuses on regenerating damaged discs rather than preventing further damage. However, because discs lack blood vessels, contain few cells, and are under constant physical stress, it is very difficult to make these solutions work.

In a new study, researchers explored an innovative solution for postoperative care to prevent further damage after surgical removal of a herniated disc. They developed a synthetic mucin gel, inspired by the mucous coating of certain parasites, that suppresses immune cell activation at sites of infection to prevent immune cell recognition.

Applied to the surgical site, this gel prevents disc damage by preventing immune cells from attacking the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral discs, thanks to its immunosuppressive properties. In contrast, traditional physical barriers such as alginate gels failed to provide this level of protection, as demonstrated by the study.

“This approach could have a major impact on surgical procedures, as a simple injection of mucin gels at the surgical site could improve patient outcomes, reduce the risk of long-term complications, and increase the overall success rate of disc surgery,” Yan concludes.

The research was conducted in collaboration with groups led by Song Chen and Bin Li of Soochow University, China, and João F. Mano of the University of Aveiro, Portugal.