The elevated level of circulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms decreased to levels equal to those of healthy controls after an aortic repair.
Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is abundantly expressed in abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), and it is considered to play a pivotal role in aneurysmal formation. Elevated circulating concentrations of MMP-9 have been reported in patients with AAA, but the influence of an operation on circulating MMP-9 is unclear. Therefore, to clarify the influence of an operation on circulating MMP-9 levels and to determine the role of MMP-9 in the progression of AAA, we measured serum MMP-9 levels in patients before and after AAA repair. Blood samples were obtained from 53 patients with AAA; 22 patients underwent AAA operations, including 17 patients with arterial occlusive disease (AOD), and nine normal control subjects. Serum MMP-9 levels were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The serum MMP-9 concentration was significantly higher in AAA patients (622.0 +/- 400.2 ng/mL) than in either AOD patients (284.3 +/- 151.4 ng/mL) or healthy controls (280.8 +/- 165.5 ng/mL) (p < 0.001). The mean serum MMP-9 levels in patients undergoing surgery for AAA (268.1 +/- 215.9 ng/mL) was significantly lower than that in AAA patients (p < 0.01). Among the 10 patients whose sera were obtained preoperatively and postoperatively, the serum MMP-9 concentration fell significantly after the patients underwent the operation (p = 0.004). No significant difference was identified in serum MMP-9 concentrations among AOD patients, controls, and postoperative patients. These studies suggest that MMP-9 plays a pivotal role in aneurysm formation, and the circulating MMP-9 level is thus considered to reflect the biological behavior of the aneurysm.
Watanabe
Tetsuo
T
Division of Advanced Surgical Science and Technology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. watatetu@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp
Sato
Akira
A
Sawai
Takashi
T
Uzuki
Miwa
M
Goto
Hitoshi
H
Yamashita
Hiroshi
H
Akamatsu
Daijirou
D
Sato
Hiroko
H
Shimizu
Takuya
T
Miyama
Noriyuki
N
Nakano
Yoshiyuki
Y
Satomi
Susumu
S
D000368:Aged; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000601:surgery*; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000601:surgery*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood*; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures
D015415:Biomarkers; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9