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#1. McMillan WD and Pearce WH. Increased plasma levels of MMP-9 are associated
with AAA. For a direct link to this paper, click here.
Comment by mdt: *Very* interesting paper. I was still at Yale when my students started
working on the problem of the "killer elastase", eg the one that could degrade intact aortic
elastin on a section of tissue. Reilly (Surg Forum 40: 283 '89) showed that it was a
metalloproteinase; and Brophy (Surg Res Communications (10:315, '91) reported that
it had an apparent MW of ~ 80 kDa. Since MMP-9 was the only MMP with enough domains
to weigh in that large, it became the candidate. Soon we showed that MMP-9 was the
assailant (Arterioscler Thromb 14: 1315, 1994).
SInce that time MMP-9 has attracted more and more attention, and here McMillan and
Pearce suggest that plasma levels, as measured by ELISA, may be a clinical test of
great usefulness. They did not report the precise sensitivity and specificity, but the mean
in the AAA group was >3x elevated over AOD controls and almost 5x > than healthy controls.
Congratulations.
2. Bigatel DA, Elmore JR, Carey DJ, Cizmeci-Smith G, Franklin DP, Youkey JR. The matrix
metalloproteinase inhibitor BB-94 limits expansion of experimental abdominal aortic aneurysms.
J Vasc Surg 1999; 29-130. For a direct link to this paper, click here.
Comment by mdt: Another promising candidate for trials in human beings. Figures 3 and
5 show remarkable preservation of the lamellar elastin.