MRI identifies biochemical alterations of intervertebral discs in patients with low back pain and radiculopathy

• Molecular intervertebral disc damage was associated with LBP and radiculopathy. • Patients with radiculopathy and LBP demonstrated a depletion of gagCEST values compared with healthy controls. • GagCEST imaging may be a non-invasive tool for investigation of degeneration processes of lumbar intervertebral discs (IVDs). GagCEST imaging may be an imaging biomarker for biochemical IVD alterations.