title: Circulating matrix metalloproteinases and their endogenous inhibitors in patients with erectile dysfunction.
abstract: Erectile dysfunction (ED) may reflect vascular alterations associated with imbalanced matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activities. However, no previous study has compared MMPs levels in ED patients with those found in healthy subjects. We measured the circulating MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 levels in ED patients, with or without diabetes mellitus (DM), and in healthy controls. We studied 28 healthy men (control group), 35 men with ED (ED group), and 33 men with ED and DM (ED/DM group). MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 plasma levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and zymography. We found no differences in MMP-9 levels (P>0.05) among groups. However, while patients in the ED group had similar TIMP-1 levels compared with those found in the control group, we found higher TIMP-1 levels and lower MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratios in the ED/DM group compared with controls (P<0.05). While both groups of patients (ED and ED/DM) had slightly lower MMP-2 levels compared with controls (P<0.05), we found no differences in TIMP-2 levels among the study groups (P>0.05), and no differences in MMP-2/TIMP-2 ratios (P>0.05). We found evidence indicating lack of significant alterations in circulating net MMP-9 and MMP-2 activities in patients with ED, and lower net MMP-9 activity in diabetic patients with ED.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Muniz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lacchini
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Belo
authors.forename: Y T D A
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Nobre
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tucci
authors.forename: A C P
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Tanus-Santos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000201:enzymology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000097:blood*; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000150:complications / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000097:blood; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood; D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000097:blood; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9