H&E staining of the L4/L5 disc in Lv-Piezo1 treated IVDD rats revealed that Lv-Piezo1 treatment alleviated the disorganized laminar structure AF tissue and decreased size in NP tissue, which resulted in elevated histological score compared with Lv-Ctrl or PBS treated IVDD rats (Fig. 7a,e). The gene discussed is PIEZO1; the disease is atrial fibrillation.