Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as key regulators in gene expression; however, little is currently known regarding their role in cartilaginous endplate (CE) degeneration (CED) of cervical vertebra. The present study aimed to investigate the expression levels of lncRNAs and analyze their potential functions in CED of cervical vertebra in patients with cervical fracture and
cervical spondylosis. Human
competitive endogenous RNA (
ceRNA) array was used to analyze
lncRNA and
mRNA expression levels in CE samples from patients with cervical fracture and
cervical spondylosis, who received anterior cervical
discectomy and fusion. Differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) or differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and functionally analyzed, using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. An
lncRNA-
microRNA(
miRNA)-
mRNA ceRNA regulatory network was constructed based on the DELs and DEGs, and the
ceRNA network was visualized using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software. In total, one downregulated
mRNA, one upregulated
miRNA and five downstream regulated lncRNAs were identified using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR in CED and healthy CE samples. A total of 369 lncRNAs and 246 mRNAs were identified as differentially expressed in CE. The GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated that the majority of GO and KEGG enrichments were associated with CED. Furthermore, a
ceRNA network was established, including 168 putative
miRNA response elements, 189 upregulated and 37 downregulated lncRNAs and 47 upregulated and 10dow regulated DEGs. The present study analyzed the function of DEGs in the
ceRNA network and filtered out the same items as in DEG-function enrichment analysis. These results provide a new perspective for an improved understanding of
ceRNA-mediated gene regulation in
cervical spondylosis, and provide a novel theoretical basis for further studies on the function of
lncRNA in
cervical spondylosis. However, further experiments are required to validate the results of the present study.