MMP3 and Intervertebral disk degeneration: HIF1Alow_NP1 cells exhibited high expression of MMP3 and SOD2. MMP3 can degrade the extracellular matrix and is believed to promote intervertebral disc degeneration (Goupille et al., 1998; Roberts et al., 2000; Vo et al., 2013), while SOD2 is a pivotal antioxidant enzyme that eliminates intracellular superoxide and can convert oxygen radicals into hydrogen peroxide, thereby alleviating intracellular oxidative stress (Tamagawa et al., 2024).