title: Gelatinolytic activity in tracheal aspirates of horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: The gelatinolytic activity in tracheal aspirates (TA) of horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was analyzed using SDS-PAGE-gelatin-gel electrophoresis (zymography) and compared to TAs from healthy controls. The 110-90 kD MMP-9 type gelatinase was high in symptomatic disease phases (permanent disease 0.46 +/- 0.15, p < 0.001; or intermittent disease 0.47 +/- 0.12, p < 0.001) compared to healthy controls (0.10 +/- 0.07). Similarly, the overall gelatinolytic activity, the activity in high-mw gelatinolytic bands (210-190 and 150 kD) and in proteolytically processed fragments in the 50-40 kD range were high, whereas the 75-65 kD MMP-2 was not altered. These findings suggest that MMP-9 type gelatinases, originating possibly from neutrophils or macrophages, and products thereof have a role in the pathogenesis of equine respiratory diseases, whereas MMP-2 type gelatinases represent house-keeping proteinases involved with normal tissue remodelling. The gelatinolytic activity in TAs correlated with the beta-glucuronidase activity, which indicates that they are simultaneously elevated in the respiratory secretions of horses suffering from COPD and might both be of same origin, or have a causal relationship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Koivunen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maisi
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Konttinen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandholm
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017364:Collagenases / Q000378:metabolism; D005780:Gelatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D018093:Gelatinases / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006734:Horse Diseases; D006736:Horses; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000201:enzymology / Q000662:veterinary*; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D013396:Suction; D014132:Trachea
chemical_list: D005780:Gelatin; D005966:Glucuronidase; D017364:Collagenases; D018093:Gelatinases; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9