Abstract 2135: Alteration Of Metalloproteinase Expression Profile In Proximal Pulmonary Arterial Wall From Patients With Fallot'S Tetralogy

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is a family of enzymes for extracellular matrix degradation that has been know to play an important role in the disease-related vascular remodeling, however, its profile in normal pulmonary artery and the role in Fallot’s tetralogy (TOF) have never been characterized in human. We examined the profile of MMPs and their regulatory proteins in proximal pulmonary artery wall (PA) and aortic wall (AO) from 11 patients with TOF who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation. PA and AO walls collected from 11 age and size matched donor hearts were used as control (NC). Protein expression level of MMP1, MMP2, MMP3, MMP9 and MMP13 were determined by quantitative Western Blot analysis. MMP activity was further examined by zymographic analysis. A remarkable increase in both latent and active forms of MMP2 level corresponding to Actin value was found in PA wall of patients with TOF (0.67±0.21 and 0.43±0.18) compared with that in NC (0.28±0.12 and 0.17±0.08, p<0.05). The latent MMP9 le...