Increased matrix metalloproteinase-8 and -9 activity in patients with infarct rupture after myocardial infarction

Background: Infarct rupture is a usually fatal complication of myocardial infarction (MI), for which no molecular mechanism has been described in humans. Experimental evidence in mouse models suggests that the degradation of the extracellular matrix by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) plays an important role in infarct rupture. The present study...

Doxycycline therapy for abdominal aneurysm: Improved proteolytic balance through reduced neutrophil content

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is thought to play a central role in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) initiation. Doxycycline, a tetracycline analogue, has direct MMP-9-inhibiting properties in vitro, and it effectively suppresses AAA development in rodents. Observed inhibition of AAA progression, and contradictory findings in...

Gingival tissue and crevicular fluid co-operation in adult periodontitis

Activated matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) can contribute to periodontal ligament destruction in adult periodontitis. Since MMP-3 has been reported to activate proMMP-8 and -9, it was speculated that gingival tissue fibroblast-derived MMP-3 might, in periodontitis, be responsible for activation of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) neutrophil...

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 is a consistent prognostic factor in gastric cancer

In a pioneer study, we showed 10 years ago that enhanced tissue levels of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP-2 and MMP-9 in gastric cancers, as determined by zymography, were related with worse overall survival of the patients. To corroborate these observations, we now assessed MMP-2 and MMP-9 with new techniques in an expanded group of...

Increased activity of matrix metalloproteinase-8 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in induced sputum from patients with COPD

Background: The increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is considered to be a key factor in the development of COPD. Net MMP activity represents a tightly regulated process, which is not addressed by conventional investigation methods such as messenger RNA or protein expression. Yet, quantitative data on MMP activity in the...

MMP profile in paired serum and synovial fluid samples of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To analyse matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor-1 of MMPs (TIMP-1) levels in the systemic circulation and synovial fluid (SF) of patients with RA and to compare these levels with inflammatory and collagen degradation markers. Methods: ProMMP-1, -2, -3, -8, -9, TIMP-1, levels of MMP/ α2-macroglobulin complexes, and...

Matrix metalloproteinases-3, -8, -9 as markers of disease activity and joint damage progression in early rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To analyse the relation between systemic levels of pro-MMP-3, -8, and -9 matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in α2 macroglobulin (α2M)/MMP complexes and the progression of joint destruction in patients with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: 109 patients with RA of recent onset were entered into this longitudinal...

Invasive properties of fibroblast-like synoviocytes Correlation with growth characteristics and expression of MMP-1 MMP-3 and MMP-10

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have a pivotal role in the destruction of cartilage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is mediated by the fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). Objective: To examine the in vitro invasiveness of synoviocytes obtained from inflamed joints of patients with arthritis in relation to the expression of MMP 1...