Gamma‐secretase inhibitor suppressed Notch1 intracellular domain combination with p65 and resulted in the inhibition of the NF‐κB signaling pathway induced by IL‐1β and TNF‐α in nucleus pulposus cells

In this experiment, the cross‐talk betweenNotch and the NF‐κB signaling pathway was examined to reveal the mechanism of slowing down the type II collagen (ColII) and aggrecan degeneration affected by inflammatory cytokines. The expression levels of ColII and aggrecan in the intervertebral disc were observed through immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin‐eosin staining+alcian blue staining, respectively. The expression levels of ColII, aggrecan, Runx2, and NF‐κB in the nuclei of human nucleus pulposus cells (hNPCs) in each group, as well as the phosphorylation and acetylation levels of p65, were examined through Western blot analysis. The 293T cells were transfected with a plasmid containing the overexpressed relative domain of Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD1), and immunoprecipitation (IP) was performed to observe the combination of NICD1 and p65. HNPCs were transfected with a lentiviral‐contained overexpression lacking the ANK region of NICD1, and IP was performed to observe the combination of NICD1 and p65. The expression of ColII and aggrecan in the intervertebral disc culture increased when γ‐secretase inhibitor N‐[N‐(3,5‐difluorophenacetyl)‐1‐alanyl]‐Sphenylglycine t‐butyl ester (DAPT) was added to the disc culture medium. Western blot revealed that DAPT inhibited p65 phosphorylation and acetylation, and the p65 and p50 levels in the nucleus decreased. NICD1 was found to be combined with p65 in contrast to the reverse consequences after ANK domain deletion in hNPCs. In nucleus pulposus cells, the combination of p65 and the ANK domain of NICD1 is a critical procedure for the degeneration related to the NF‐κB signaling pathway activation induced by IL‐1β and TNF‐α.