MMP13 and intervertebral disk degenerative disorder: In rat models of disc degeneration induced by prolonged upright posture, pretreatment with ligustrazine effectively restored disc structure, inhibited the expression of collagen type X, MMP-13, and MMP-3, upregulated type II collagen, and decreased levels of inflammatory factors such as IL-1β, COX-2, and iNOS, showing strong tissue-protective and anti-inflammatory effects, ligustrazine (80 mg/kg) reduced MMP-13 and iNOS ∼60%, improved histological scores by 28%.