Search results for "Metalloproteinases"
showing 10 items of 83 documents
Matrix metalloproteinases production in malignant pleural effusions after talc pleurodesis
2003
SUMMARY In this study we have evaluated the modifications of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in malignant pleural fluids taken from patients suffering from lung cancer and treated with intrapleural talc instillation to induce pleurodesis. Furthermore, we have analysed the variations of some inflammatory mediators (C-reactive protein, α-1 antitrypsin) and of a protein (plasminogen) involved in MMP activation. In all patients the clinical improvement after talc pleurodesis was followed by a reduction in MMP-1, TIMP-1, C-reactive protein, α-1 antitrypsin and plasminogen activity. Furthermore, MMP-9 levels were variable; in fact, in some patients they were high at the beginning of treatment, i…
The involvement of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in heart exercise-related angiogenesis
2013
Background Little is known about the involvement of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in cardiac vascular remodelling induced by exercise. Our aim was to evaluate and localize MMP-2 and MMP-9’s activities in relation to capillary proliferation in mouse hearts trained for 15, 30 and 45 days. Methods Sixty-three mice were randomly assigned to 7 groups: four control sedentary groups (C0, C15, C30 and C45) and three groups trained by an endurance protocol (T15, T30 and T45). MMP-2 and MMP-9 were examined with zymography and immunostaining analyses. Capillary proliferation was evaluated counting the number of CD31-positive cells. Results Different activity patterns of the latent form of both MMPs…
ALLOPURINOL BLOCKS AORTIC ANEURYSM IN A MOUSE MODEL OF MARFAN SYNDROME VIA REDUCING AORTIC OXIDATIVE STRESS
2022
ABSTRACTBackgroundIncreasing evidence indicates that redox stress participates in MFS aortopathy, though its mechanistic contribution is little known. We reported elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and NADPH oxidase NOX4 upregulation in MFS patients and mouse aortae. Here we address the contribution of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR), which catabolizes purines into uric acid and ROS in MFS aortopathy.Methods and ResultsIn aortic samples from MFS patients, XOR protein expression, revealed by immunohistochemistry, increased in both the tunicae intima and media of the dilated zone. In MFS mice (Fbn1C1041G/+), aortic XOR mRNA transcripts and enzymatic activity of the oxidase form (X…
[Coronary artery ectasia: etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment].
2014
Coronary ectasia is a dilation of coronary arteries, angiographically defined if the diameter of the artery is ≥ 1.5 times greater than that of the intact adjacent vascular segment. An association has been found between coronary artery ectasia and a broad spectrum of different diseases, first of all atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. The mechanisms that determine the abnormal dilatation of the vascular lumen and the etiology of coronary artery ectasia are still poorly understood. Various hypotheses have been formulated over the time, the most accredited between these recognizes as main responsible an uncontrolled activity of a particular family of enzymes that degrade the extracellula…
MT5-MMP regulates adult neural stem cell functional quiescence through the cleavage of N-cadherin.
2014
The identification of mechanisms that maintain stem cell niche architecture and homeostasis is fundamental to our understanding of tissue renewal and repair. Cell adhesion is a well-characterized mechanism for developmental morphogenetic processes, but its contribution to the dynamic regulation of adult mammalian stem cell niches is still poorly defined. We show that N-cadherin-mediated anchorage of neural stem cells (NSCs) to ependymocytes in the adult murine subependymal zone modulates their quiescence. We further identify MT5-MMP as a membrane-type metalloproteinase responsible for the shedding of the N-cadherin ectodomain in this niche. MT5-MMP is co-expressed with N-cadherin in adult N…
Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs), Their Genetic Variants and miRNA in Mitral Valve Diseases: Potential Biomarker Tools and Targets for Personalized T…
2016
Mitral valve diseases (MVD)s, comprising congenital and acquired forms, are characterized by a diverse etiology, pathophysiology, prevalence, and incidence. In industrialized countries, the acquired forms represent 2.5% of all cardiovascular diseases, with a marked augmentation after the age of 65 years. In addition, all forms of MVDs (i.e., degenerative forms) have a difficult clinical management. The major challenge is 'the early diagnosis', and echocardiographic analysis has been shown inappropriate for diagnosing MVD in moderate forms. Thus, there is a strong need to identify more appropriate biomarker tools to diagnose MVDs at early clinical stage before complications occur and worsen …
Maintenance of a Protein Structure in the Dynamic Evolution of TIMPs over 600 Million Years
2016
Deciphering the events leading to protein evolution represents a challenge, especially for protein families showing complex evolutionary history. Among them, TIMPs represent an ancient eukaryotic protein family widely distributed in the animal kingdom. They are known to control the turnover of the extracellular matrix and are considered to arise early during metazoan evolution, arguably tuning essential features of tissue and epithelial organization. To probe the structure and molecular evolution of TIMPs within metazoans, we report the mining and structural characterization of a large data set of TIMPs over approximately 600 Myr. The TIMPs repertoire was explored starting from the Cnidaria…
Sizzled Is Unique among Secreted Frizzled-related Proteins for Its Ability to Specifically Inhibit Bone Morphogenetic Protein-1 (BMP-1)/Tolloid-like …
2012
BMP-1/tolloid-like proteinases (BTPs) are major enzymes involved in extracellular matrix assembly and activation of bioactive molecules, both growth factors and anti-angiogenic molecules. Although the control of BTP activity by several enhancing molecules is well established, the possibility that regulation also occurs through endogenous inhibitors is still debated. Secreted frizzled-related proteins (sFRPs) have been studied as possible candidates, with highly contradictory results, after the demonstration that sizzled, a sFRP found in Xenopus and zebrafish, was a potent inhibitor of Xenopus and zebrafish tolloid-like proteases. In this study, we demonstrate that mammalian sFRP-1, -2, and …
Zymographic detection and clinical correlations of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in breast cancer sera.
2004
Matrix metalloproteinases, in particular the gelatinases MMP-2 and MMP-9, have received great attention in recent years as putative tumour markers for clinical applications. The main reason for the observed interest is their easy detection in body fluids. Moreover, recent evidence has shown multiple functions of MMPs, rather than simply degrading ECM, which include the mobilisation of growth factors and processing of surface molecules. Several authors have reported increased levels of MMPs in a number of cancers, but clinical correlations in breast cancer are still fragmentary. Thus, the aim of the present research was to investigate the activity levels of circulating gelatinases in the ser…
Vanadium Modulates Proteolytic Activities and MMP-14-Like Levels during Paracentrotus lividus Embryogenesis
2022
The increasing industrial use of vanadium (V), as well as its recent medical use in various pathologies has intensified its environmental release, making it an emerging pollutant. The sea urchin embryo has long been used to study the effects induced by metals, including V. In this study we used an integrated approach that correlates the biological effects on embryo development with proteolytic activities of gelatinases that could better reflect any metal-induced imbalances. V-exposure caused morphological/morphometric aberrations, mainly concerning the correct distribution of embryonic cells, the development of the skeleton, and the embryo volume. Moreover, V induced a concentration change …