ORIGINAL ARTICLE  VENOUS DISEASE Free access

International Angiology 2019 June;38(3):185-93

DOI: 10.23736/S0392-9590.19.04144-0

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Disequilibrium in MMPs and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases in different segments of the varicose great saphenous vein wall

Xiaoxuan HU ^{1, 2}, Fuxing HU ³, Yongbo XU ³, Jinyuan TANG ³, Haibo CHU ³ ✉, Yuxu ZHONG ²

¹ Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China; ² State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China; ³ Center of General Surgery, The 89th Hospital of People’s Liberation Army, Weifang, China

BACKGROUND: Varicose great saphenous veins (VGSVs) are a common disorder with a high incidence, but the pathogenesis is unclear. This study was designed to measure the changes in matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in different segments from VGSV walls to determine the relationship between MMPs, TIMPs expression, and expansion of the venous wall.
METHODS: Twenty-one VGSV and 12 normal great saphenous vein (GSV) specimens were collected. Venous walls in the two groups, expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 proteins, protein-positive expression ratios, mRNA expression, and protein content were determined by immunohistochemistry, PCR, and western blot.
RESULTS: The MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 protein-positive expression ratios, mRNA expression in the upper, middle, and lower segments in the VGSV group were significantly higher than the corresponding regions in the GSV group, respectively. The MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 protein-positive expression ratios, mRNA expression, and protein concentrations in the lower segments in the VGSV group were also significantly higher than the upper and middle segments in the VGSV group and the corresponding regions in the GSV group, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Under high hemodynamics, disequilibrium of MMPs and TIMPs from VGSVs exists within the upper, middle, and lower segments of VGSVs. These results suggested that MMPs and TIMPs participate in the process of venous wall remodeling and may be one of the mechanisms associated with the formation and development in varicose veins.

KEY WORDS: Varicose veins; Saphenous vein; Matrix metalloproteinases; Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors