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pubmed:abstractText |
The pathologic feature of aortic aneurysm is considered to be the remodeling of the aortic wall, involving fragmentation and decrease of elastic fibers in the tunica media. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly MMP-2 and MMP-9, have been implicated in collagen and elastin degeneration within the aortic wall. The precise relationship among MMPs and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) is still unclear. We have studied the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 tissue inhibitor of metalloprotein-1 (TIMP-1), TIMP-2 and membrane type 1-MMP (MT-1-MMP) in the wall of small AAAs (30-45 mm), large AAAs (>45 mm) and controls (<25 mm). We investigated the relationship among expressions of MMP-2, TIMP-2 and MT1-MMP in the walls.
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