Increased matrix metalloproteinase 2 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells cultured from abdominal aortic aneurysms.
OBJECTIVES: Recent evidence has implicated matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) in the pathogenesis of aneurysms. The aim of this study was to examine MMP-2 production and expression by aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and dermal fibroblasts derived from patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). METHODS: Aortic SMCs and dermal fibroblasts were cultured from patients with AAAs or from age-matched controls with atherosclerosis. The production of MMP and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase into culture media was analyzed with the use of gelatin zymography, Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Gene expression was analyzed with Northern blotting. RESULTS: All cells studied constitutively produced MMP-2. Aortic SMCs cultured from aneurysmal tissue expressed MMP-2 protein and messenger RNA at a significantly higher level than SMCs from controls (P =.008). Dermal fibroblasts from patients with AAAs expressed MMP-2 at a similar level to controls. In both cell types, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 and membrane type 1-MMP were expressed at similar levels. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggested that the regulation of MMP-2 gene expression was altered in the aortic SMCs of patients with aneurysms, but this finding was not repeated in other mesenchymal tissue.[1]References
- Increased matrix metalloproteinase 2 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells cultured from abdominal aortic aneurysms. Crowther, M., Goodall, S., Jones, J.L., Bell, P.R., Thompson, M.M. J. Vasc. Surg. (2000) [Pubmed]
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