Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a painful, chronic and progressive disease, which is characterized by inflammation, structural and biological deterioration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) tissues. DDD is specified as cell-, age-, and genetic-dependent degenerative process that can be accelerated by environmental factors. It is one of the major causes of chronic back pain and disability affecting millions of people globally. Current treatment options, such as physical rehabilitation, pain management, and surgical intervention, can provide only temporary pain relief. Different animal models have been used to study the process of IVD degeneration and develop therapeutic options that may restore the structure and function of degenerative discs. Several research works have depicted considerable progress in understanding the biological basis of disc degeneration and the therapeutic potentials of cell transplantation, gene therapy, applications of supporting biomaterials and bioactive factors, or a combination thereof. Since animal models play increasingly significant roles in treatment approaches of DDD, we conducted an electronic database search on Medline through June 2020 to identify, compare, and discuss publications regarding biological therapeutic approaches of DDD that based on intradiscal treatment strategies. We provide an up-to-date overview of biological treatment strategies in animal models including mouse, rat, rabbit, porcine, bovine, ovine, caprine, canine, and primate models. Although no animal model could profoundly reproduce the clinical conditions in humans; animal models have played important roles in specifying our knowledge about the pathophysiology of DDD. They are crucial for developing new therapy approaches for clinical applications.

椎间盘退行性疾病 (DDD) 是一种疼痛的慢性进行性疾病，其特征是椎间盘 (IVD) 组织的炎症、结构和生物学恶化。DDD 被指定为可被环境因素加速的细胞、年龄和遗传依赖性退化过程。它是影响全球数百万人的慢性背痛和残疾的主要原因之一。目前的治疗选择，如身体康复、疼痛管理和手术干预，只能提供暂时的疼痛缓解。不同的动物模型已被用于研究 IVD 退化的过程，并开发出可以恢复退化椎间盘结构和功能的治疗方案。几项研究工作在了解椎间盘退变的生物学基础和细胞移植的治疗潜力、基因治疗、支持生物材料和生物活性因子的应用或它们的组合方面取得了相当大的进展。由于动物模型在 DDD 的治疗方法中发挥着越来越重要的作用，我们在 Medline 上进行了截至 2020 年 6 月的电子数据库搜索，以识别、比较和讨论有关基于椎间盘内治疗策略的 DDD 生物治疗方法的出版物。我们提供动物模型中生物治疗策略的最新概述，包括小鼠、大鼠、兔、猪、牛、羊、山羊、犬和灵长类动物模型。尽管没有动物模型可以深刻地再现人类的临床状况；动物模型在详细说明我们对 DDD 病理生理学的了解方面发挥了重要作用。它们对于开发用于临床应用的新治疗方法至关重要。