Serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-7 evaluation in patients with coronary artery disease

摘要

Inflammation plays an important role in atherosclerosis and it can stimulate the production of different matrix- metalloproteinases, enzymes capable to degrade the extracellular matrix, diabetes increases the inflammatory status and can contribute to the evolution of a stable coronary artery disease to an acute coronary syndrome. We have analysed 114 patients divided in four groups : normals, diabetics, acute myocardial infarction and acute myocardial infarction associating diabetes, all patients underwent coronarography and echocardiography, routine blood analysis and serum evaluation of total MMP-7. Higher total serum MMP-7 were obtained in patients with acute myocardial infarction v.s. normals and serum MMP-7 in did correlate with the numbers of coronaries affected by atherosclerosis, BNP levels an the left ventricle ejection fraction suggesting that MMP-7 may be a risk factor for acute coronary events such as myocardial infarction.