The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 in Atherosclerotic Plaque Instability

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) belongs to the MMP family and has been widely investigated. Excessive MMP-9 expression can enhance extracellular matrix degradation and promote plaque instability. Studies have demonstrated that MMP-9 levels are higher in vulnerable plaques than in stable plaques....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tiewei Li (Author), Xiaojuan Li (Author), Yichuan Feng (Author), Geng Dong (Author), Yuewu Wang (Author), Junmei Yang (Author)
Format: Book
Published: Hindawi Limited, 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to this object online.
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) belongs to the MMP family and has been widely investigated. Excessive MMP-9 expression can enhance extracellular matrix degradation and promote plaque instability. Studies have demonstrated that MMP-9 levels are higher in vulnerable plaques than in stable plaques. Additionally, several human studies have demonstrated that MMP-9 may be a predictor of atherosclerotic plaque instability and a risk factor for future adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. MMP-9 deficiency or blocking MMP-9 expression can inhibit plaque inflammation and prevent atherosclerotic plaque instability. All of these results suggest that MMP-9 may be a useful predictive biomarker for vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques, as well as a therapeutic target for preventing atherosclerotic plaque instability. In this review, we describe the structure, function, and regulation of MMP-9. We also discuss the role of MMP-9 in predicting and preventing atherosclerotic plaque instability.
Item Description:0962-9351
1466-1861
10.1155/2020/3872367