News Express: UM research team develops novel glycan-based strategy to treat intervertebral disc degeneration
新聞快訊：澳大研究團隊設計以“糖”治療椎間盤退變新策略
澳大開發可“騙過”酶切而保留在椎間盤髓核組織的多糖膠水GMOC抵抗組織退變
UM develops GMOC into a polysaccharide glue that can ‘outsmart’ enzyme degradation and remain intact in the intervertebral disc tissue to combat tissue degeneration
澳大研究團隊設計以“糖”治療椎間盤退變新策略
隨著全球快速老齡化，椎間盤退變（IDD）已成為現代人群腰背疼痛的主要因素之一，然而有效的治療方法非常有限。澳門大學中華醫藥研究院教授王春明的研究團隊經過多年探索，開發了一類基於葡甘聚糖衍生物的分子“膠水”，用於修補病變的椎間盤組織，有望為緩解椎間盤退變提供全新思路。相關研究已發表於國際期刊《自然-通訊》（Nature Communications）。
隨著年歲增長，椎間盤組織退變可引發常見的慢性腰背痛、下肢活動受限等症狀，嚴重影響生活品質。然而，現有臨床治療手段或僅能暫緩疼痛，或手術後較易復發。澳大研究團隊通過分析臨床病理標本與數據庫，首次發現疾病的發展伴隨著一類名為MFG-E8的蛋白流失，而該蛋白對於髓核細胞的健康至關重要。進一步分析發現，該蛋白流失的原因是由於椎間盤內部稱為“髓核”組織中的糖苷內切酶不斷增加，如同剪刀一樣切碎原有組織中的糖胺聚糖，而這些糖恰好是保護MFG-E8蛋白的。基於這一發現，團隊合成了一種與人體組織糖胺聚糖結構相似，既能保護上述重要蛋白、又能逃過糖苷內切酶破壞的葡甘聚糖分子（GMOC）。
研究人員將GMOC開發為一種“多糖膠水”，在大鼠和兔上分別構建了兩類椎間盤創傷模型，發現注射該糖膠可有效緩解椎間盤退變進程，改善疼痛症狀。相關研究已通過澳大申請中國發明專利與國際專利公開，尋求通過產學研合作開啟轉化通道；若該糖膠日後應用於臨床，或可有望減少不必要的手術。這一研究也是該團隊十多年持續研究促進組織修復再生的多糖、寡糖、糖胺聚糖的系列成果之一。
王春明為該研究的第一通訊作者，該研究前三作者分別為澳大中華醫藥研究院博士生劉禹、碩士生趙子維及李雨微，並得到南京大學生命科學學院教授董磊和蘇州大學附屬第一醫院教授耿德春團隊的全力支持。研究獲國家自然科學基金委員會優秀青年科學基金（港澳）（檔案編號：NSFC, No.32022088）、澳門特別行政區科學技術發展基金（檔案編號： No. 0001/2021/AKP、0024/2023/AFJ、005/2023/SKL）、澳門大學（檔案編號：MYRG-GRG2023-00136-ICMS-UMDF、MYRG2022-00100-ICMS）資助。全文可瀏覽：https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58946-5。
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https://www.um.edu.mo/zh-hant/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61261/
UM research team develops novel glycan-based strategy to treat intervertebral disc degeneration
With the global population ageing, intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) has become a leading cause of lower back pain among modern populations, yet effective treatment options remain limited. A research team led by Wang Chunming, professor in the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS) at the University of Macau (UM), has developed a ‘glue’ derived from glucomannan that is designed to repair damaged intervertebral disc tissue, offering a promising new approach to alleviating IDD. The research has been published in the international journal Nature Communications.
As people grow older, degeneration of the intervertebral discs can lead to common symptoms such as chronic lower back pain and reduced mobility in the lower limbs, significantly diminishing quality of life. However, current clinical treatments either only provide temporary pain relief or carry a risk of recurrence following surgery. Through the detailed analysis of clinical specimens and databases, the research team made a groundbreaking discovery: the progression of IDD is linked to the loss of a protein called MFG-E8, which is crucial for maintaining the health of nucleus pulposus cells. Further investigation revealed that this protein depletion is caused by an increase in glycosidases in the nucleus pulposus tissue of the disc. These enzymes act like scissors, cleaving the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) that normally protect MFG-E8. Building on this finding, the team synthesised a glucomannan octanoate (GMOC), a compound with a structure similar to human GAGs, which can shield MFG-E8 from degradation and resist destruction by glycosidases.
The researchers developed GMOC into a ‘polysaccharide glue’ and tested it in two animal models of IDD (rats and rabbits). The results showed that injections of the polysaccharide glue effectively slowed disc degeneration and alleviated pain symptoms. The research has been patented in China and internationally through UM, and efforts are underway to translate it into clinical applications through industry-academia collaboration. If successfully applied in clinical settings, GMOC could potentially reduce the need for invasive surgery. This study is one of the team’s many achievements in their decade-long research on the use of polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, and glycosaminoglycans for tissue repair and regeneration.
The corresponding author of the study is Prof Wang, and the first three authors are PhD student Liu Yu, and master’s students Chao Tzuwei and Li Yuwei, all from ICMS. The research also received substantial support from Dong Lei, professor in the School of Life Sciences at Nanjing University, and the research team of Geng Dechun, professor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. The research was funded by the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (File No.: 32022088), the Science and Technology Development Fund of the Macao SAR (File No.: 0001/2021/AKP, 0024/2023/AFJ, 005/2023/SKL), and UM (File No.: MYRG-GRG2023-00136-ICMS-UMDF, MYRG2022-00100-ICMS). The full text of the research article is available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58946-5.
To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/61261/