Importantly, IHC staining of P16, cleaved caspase-3, and collagen II showed that the expression levels of P16 and cleaved caspase-3 in the IDD and IDD+shRNA-NC groups increased, and that of collagen II decreased significantly, indicating that NP cell senescence and apoptosis increased significantly during IDD, and ECM catabolism increased. This evidence concerns the gene CASP3 and intervertebral disk degenerative disorder.