Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases that have been increasingly linked to both normal physiology and abnormal pathology in the kidney. Collectively able to degrade all components of the extracellular matrix, MMPs were originally thought to antagonize the development of fibrotic diseases solely through digestion of excessive matrix. However, increasing ...

Periodontitis is a bacterial infectious disease, and many inflammatory cytokines regulate the pathophysiology through the crosstalk of tissue cells and immune cells [1,2]. Cytokine balance regulated by immune responses has an important role in the stability or progression of inflammation. Many researchers have shown the effects of inflammatory cytokines such as Interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 on pe...

Introduction Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) represent a family of zinc dependent endopeptidases which is involved in the breakdown of components of the extracellular matrix and helps in tissue remodeling [1]. The process is vital in embryonic development, pregnancy, growth and wound healing. Usually the activity of MMPs is restricted by the equilibrium between synthesis of active MMPs and the...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in mecha nisms of metastasis in experimental cancer models and in human malig nancies. In this study, we used substrate gel electrophoresis (zymography) to determine the frequency of detection of MMPs in urine of patients with a variety of cancers. Three molecular weight classes of urinary MMPs, .*/,. 72,000, \/, 92,000, and high molecular w...

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health pandemic. Infection is spread by the aerosol route and Mycobacterium tuberculosis must drive lung destruction to be transmitted to new hosts. Such inflammatory tissue damage is responsible for morbidity and mortality in patients. The underlying mechanisms of matrix destruction in TB remain poorly understood but consideration of the lung extracellular ma...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in mechanisms of metastasis in experimental cancer models and in human malignancies. In this study, we used substrate gel electrophoresis (zymography) to determine the frequency of detection of MMPs in urine of patients with a variety of cancers. Three molecular weight classes of urinary MMPs, Mr 72,000, Mr 92,000, and high molecular weight ...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their related gene products regulate essential cellular functions. An imbalance in MMPs has been implicated in various neurological disorders, including traumatic injuries. Here, we report a role for MMPs and their related gene products in the modulation of cochlear responses to acoustic trauma in rats. The normal cochlea was shown to be enriched in MMP enzy...

In coronary arteries, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) normally regulate the metabolism of matrix molecules in atherosclerotic plaques. Excess matrix degradation may render the plaque vulnerable to rupture, possibly triggering a myocardial infarction. This research investigated how cytokines affect the secretion and activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the secretion of tissue inhibitors...

Bacteria produce a range of proteolytic enzymes (for which a number human equivalent or structurally similar examples exist) and the primary focus of this study was to analyse the published literature to find proteolytic enzymes, specifically endoproteses and to examine the similarity in the substrates that they act on so as to predict a suitable structural motif which can be used as the basis ...

Extracellular proteolysis mediates tissue homeostasis. In cancer, altered proteolysis leads to unregulated tumor growth, tissue remodeling, inflammation, tissue invasion, and metastasis. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) represent the most prominent family of proteinases associated with tumorigenesis. Recent technological developments have markedly advanced our understanding of MMPs as modul...