title: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 and its natural inhibitor TIMP-1 expressed or secreted by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was involved in inflammation and immune system dysfunctions. Besides immunologic abnormalities, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) also presents chronic inflammatory components. Therefore, a role of MMP-9 in SLE pathology might be supposed. To verify this hypothesis, SLE patients and healthy donors were compared for the MMP-9 and MMP-9 mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), the spontaneous secretion of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and the MMP-9 activity. Thus, we found that fresh PBMCs from SLE patients expressed a significantly higher activity of MMP-9 and spontaneously released higher levels of MMP-9, as compared to healthy donors, while the secreted TIMP-1 level was the same for both groups. When the patients were sub-grouped based on disease status, the most increased pro-MMP-9 activity inside the PBMCs was identified for relapse SLE sub-group. A similar observation for SLE patients with positive serum fibrinogen was found. Following culture, the PBMCs from remission SLE patients secreted significantly higher MMP-9 level, than the PBMCs from relapse SLE patients. PBMCs from relapse SLE patients secreted the highest levels of TIMP-1, although this difference was not statistically significant. Taken together, these observations suggested the multiple roles of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in progress of inflammation and tissue damage and/or in repair, depending on clinical stages of SLE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Cantacuzino National Institute of Research, Splaiul Independentei 103, Bucharest R-70 100, Romania.
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matache
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stefanescu
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dragomir
authors.forename: Stefanita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaseanu
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Onu
authors.forename: Augustin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ofiteru
authors.forename: Geza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Szegli
mesh_terms: D015551:Autoimmunity; D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9