Relations of plasma total TIMP-1 levels to cardiovascular risk factors and echocardiographic measures: the Framingham heart study.
OBJECTIVE
Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) is a key regulator of extracellular matrix degradation. We examined relations of plasma total TIMP-1 to cardiovascular risk factors and echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) structure and function in a community-based sample.


RESULTS
We studied 1069 Framingham Heart Study participants (mean age 56 years, 58% women) free of heart failure and previous myocardial infarction. Plasma TIMP-1 was higher in men compared with women, and increased with age, body mass index and total/HDL-cholesterol ratio, but decreased with alcohol intake. Plasma TIMP-1 was also directly related to smoking, diabetes and use of anti-hypertensive treatment. Adjusting for age, sex and height, plasma TIMP-1 was positively associated with LV mass, wall thickness, relative wall thickness, end-systolic diameter, and left atrial diameter and the risk of having increased LV end-diastolic diameter or increased wall thickness, and negatively correlated with fractional shortening. Additional adjustment for clinical covariates attenuated the relations of plasma TIMP-1 to most echocardiographic measures.


CONCLUSIONS
In our cross-sectional investigation, plasma total TIMP-1 was related to major cardiovascular risk factors and to indices of LV hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction. This raises the possibility that cardiovascular risk factors may influence cardiovascular remodelling via extracellular matrix degradation, which may be reflected in plasma TIMP-1 levels.
Sundström
Johan
J
The Framingham Study, Boston University School of Medicine, 73 Mt Wayte Ave Suite 2, Framingham, MA, USA.
Evans
Jane C
JC
Benjamin
Emelia J
EJ
Levy
Daniel
D
Larson
Martin G
MG
Sawyer
Douglas B
DB
Siwik
Deborah A
DA
Colucci
Wilson S
WS
Wilson
Peter W F
PW
Vasan
Ramachandran S
RS
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000097:blood*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1