title: Plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 in male and female patients with cirrhosis of different aetiologies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis may be reversible in some circumstances. Reliable diagnostic tests are necessary for monitoring hepatic fibrogenesis. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 are two of the major MMPs in the circulation and may be most relevant to hepatic fibrosis. The behaviour of MMPs may be significantly different in men and women and may also differ in cases of cirrhosis of various aetiologies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the manifestations of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in liver cirrhosis of different aetiologies in men and women and to compare these patterns with those of healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in plasma samples from 112 patients with cirrhosis and 112 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. We then correlated these MMP levels with gender and disease aetiology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma MMP-2 concentrations in patients showed a trend towards increasing values with cirrhosis severity and were markedly increased in patients regardless of gender and aetiology compared with healthy controls (p<0.0001). Plasma mean MMP-9 levels were comparable in patients with cirrhosis and controls, but increased with disease severity. They were significantly lower in patients (130.5 ng/mL), female patients (85.4 ng/mL) and male patients (150.4 ng/mL) with mild cirrhosis than in controls (163.2 ng/mL), female controls (162.5 ng/mL) and male controls (163.3 ng/mL) (p=0.001, 0.041 and 0.009, respectively). MMP-2 and MMP-9 concentrations were not significantly different between genders among controls and among various patient subgroups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma MMP-2 level may be a useful diagnostic marker for monitoring hepatic fibrogenesis in patients with disease of different aetiologies.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institutes of Basic and Chinese Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan Department of Health and Nutrition Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuo-Chih
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan Department of Family Medicine, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Nan
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan Department of Nephrology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jen-Pi
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Departments of Clinical Pathology and Anatomic Pathology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Chuan
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000097:blood*; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: C522361:MMP2 protein, human; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; C579270:MMP9 protein, human; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9
keywords: CHEMICAL PATHOLOGY; COLLAGENASE; EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX; LIVER DISEASE; fibrosis