J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol.  2000 Dec;20(6):916-926.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9/tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 in induced sputum of bronchial asthmatics

• Kim CW
• Kim HJ
• Park JW
• Hong CS

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by inflammatory cell infiltrations, which require extracellular matrix (ECM) breakdown and inflammatory cell migration. Airway remodeling with ECM deposition is another characteristic of asthma and reflect imbalance of collagen homeostasis. Collagen homeostasis is regulated by balance of metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs).
OBJECTIVE
We performed this study to evaluate the clinical significance and the role of MMPs and TIMPs in induced sputum of patients with symptomatic asthma.
METHODS
We measured the concentrations of MMP-9 and its tissue inhibitor, TIMP-1, in induced sputum of 16 symptomatic asthmatics, 6 active smokers, and 5 healthy control subjects.
RESULTS
Concentrations of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were greater in patients with asthma than in control subjects. The molar ratio between MMP-9 and TIMP-1 was significantly lower in asthmatics than in control subjects (p<0.05). In asthmatics, MMP-9 concentrations were correlated with the number of total inflammatory cells, neutrophils and eosinophils (Rho=0.618, Rho=0.545 and Rho=0.384, p<0.01, p<0.01 and p=0.058, respectively). The concentrations of MMP-9 was negatively correlated with FEV1 (Rho=-0.467, p<0.05) and positively correlated with the levels of sputum ECP and IL-8 (Rho=0.595 and Rho=0.769, p<0.01 and p<0.01, respectively).
CONCLUSION
MMP-9 may be involved in active inflammatory processes in symptomatic chronic airway disease, and the lower ratio of MMP-9/TIMP-1 in asthmatics suggests that MMP-9/TIMP-1 imbalance may be involved in airway remodeling.

Keyword

Bronchial asthma; sputum; MMP-9; TIMP-1

MeSH Terms

Airway Remodeling
Asthma
Cell Movement
Collagen
Eosinophils
Extracellular Matrix
Homeostasis
Humans
Interleukin-8
Matrix Metalloproteinase 1*
Matrix Metalloproteinases
Metalloproteases
Molar
Neutrophils
Sputum*
Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1
Collagen
Interleukin-8
Matrix Metalloproteinase 1
Matrix Metalloproteinases
Metalloproteases
Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1