title: Changes in metalloproteinases in healthy normotensive patients with high-normal blood pressure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High-normal blood pressure (HNBP) seems to be related to increased cardiovascular risk in healthy, normotensive subjects, while essential hypertension is associated with an increase in extracellular matrix content, especially fibrillar collagen type I. The aim of our study was to investigate whether collagen degradation is altered in healthy normotensives with HNBP, and whether this alteration could be related to disturbances in the matrix metalloproteinases plasma concentration, and to compare the findings to those of healthy normotensives with normal blood pressure (NBP) levels, matched for age, sex and BMI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty six (14 males, 12 females) healthy, normotensive patients with HNBP, mean age 52 +/- 5 yrs, and BMI 23 +/- 1.5 kg/m(2) (group A), and 24, healthy normotensive patients (13 males, 11 females) with NBP, mean age 53 +/- 6 yrs, and BMI 23.2 +/- 1.4 kg/m(2) (group B), were studied. The two groups were matched for age, sex and BMI. Plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1) and (TIMP-4) were determined by relevant ELISA in the study population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma MMP-9 levels were significantly higher, while TIMP-1 and TIMP-4 levels were significantly lower in group A compared to group B, (MMP-9 579 +/- 147 versus 294 +/- 111 ng/mL, TIMP-1 178 +/- 45 versus 237 +/- 35 ng/mL p < 0.01, and TIMP-4 2.2 +/- 1.4 versus 4.4 +/- 2.1 p < 0.04 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that healthy normotensives with high-normal blood pressure have significantly increased MMP-9 and decreased TIMP-1 and TIMP-4 plasma levels compared to healthy normotensives with normal blood pressure. These findings need further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Laiko Hospital, 6-8 Glykonos street, Athens, Greece. jimpapdoc@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Dimitrios P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
authors.forename: Thomas K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Makris
authors.forename: Panagiota G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Krespi
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poulakou
authors.forename: Ourania G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Papazachou
authors.forename: Antonios N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Hatzizacharias
authors.forename: Despina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Perrea
authors.forename: Vasilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Votteas
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000097:blood*; D019714:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases / Q000097:blood*; D000097792:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-4
chemical_list: D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; D019714:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases; D000097792:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-4