ZMPSTE24 and intervertebral disk degenerative disorder: To this end, and following assessment of human NPCs in clinical IDD samples, we used in vitro and ex-vivo inflammatory senescence NPC models to explore the involvement of pro-fibrotic (i.e. TGFβ) and pro-inflammatory (i.e. NF-κB) signaling pathways, and the potential role of ZMPSTE24 in restoring the functionality of senescent NPCs.