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BACKGROUND: Changes in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) contribute to left ventricular (LV) remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). We tested the hypothesis that a specific plasma MMP/TIMP profile would emerge after MI and be associated with the degree of LV dilation. METHODS AND RESULTS: LV end-diastolic volume and MMP/TIMP plasma profiles were determined in 53 age-matched control subjects and 32 post-MI patients from day 1 through 180 after MI. LV end-diastolic volume increased by > 38% at day 90 after MI (P 150% from control at day 1 after MI (P 120% at day 3 after MI (P 60% from control at day 1 after MI (P < 0.05), whereas TIMP-2 increased only at later time points. Cardiac-specific TIMP-4 fell by 40% at day 5 after MI and remained reduced. A persistent or elevated MMP-9 at day 5 was accompanied by a 3-fold end-diastolic volume increase at day 28 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A specific temporal pattern of MMP/TIMPs occurred in post-MI patients that included an early and robust rise in MMP-9 and MMP-8 and a uniform fall in TIMP-4. These findings suggest that a specific MMP/TIMP plasma profile occurs after MI and holds both prognostic and diagnostic significance.
Webb et al. (Tue,) studied this question.