MMP-3 And Its Inhibitor TIMP-1 In The Serum Of Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective:To investigate the serum concentration of Matrix metallopro teinases-3 and its its inhibitor tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) and correlate them with clinic and pathologic parameters.Methods:Serum levels of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 in a group of 60 patients with SLE and 30 healthy controls were assessed by ELISA.Results:The MMP-3 and TIMP-1 serum levels were lower in SLE group than in the control group(P<0.001),but the MMP-3/TIMP-1 ratio was higher in SLE group than in the control group(P<0.001); The MMP-3 and TIMP-1 serum levels were lower in the lupus nephritis (LN) group than in the SLE patients without LN(P<0.001),but the MMP-3/TIMP-1 ratio had no difference between the two groups(P>0.05); The MMP-3 and TIMP-1 serum levels were lower in active SLE patients than in inactive ones(P<0.001), but the MMP-3/TIMP-1 ratio had no difference between the two groups(P>0.05); The TIMP-1 serum levels were lower in untreated SLE patients than in the patients treated by glucocorticoid and immunodepressant(P<0.001),but the MMP-3 serum levels and the MMP-3/TIMP-1 ratio had no difference between the two groups(P>0.05);There had no difference with MMP-3 and TIMP-1 serum levels and MMP-3/TIMP-1 ratio among the WHO classâ…¡,â…¢,â…£,â…¤LN groups(P>0.05);The serum levels of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 were negatively correlated to proteinuria,systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index(SLEDAI) and anti-dsDNA (rs-MMP-3=-0.507,-0.817,-0.457 , P<0.001 ; rs-TIMP-1=-0.416,-0.720,-0.506 ,P<0.001),and were positively correlated to C3,C4(rs-MMP-3=0.346,0.377,P<0.01;rs-TIMP-1=0.418,0.361,P<0.01);There was no correlation between serum levels of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 and erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),C reactive protein(CRP),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),serum creatinine(Scr). The multi-factors step wise regression analysis indicated that both MMP-3 and TIMP-1 serum levels were positively correlated with SLEDAI (R2MMP-3=0.521, R2TIMP-1=0.390, P<0.001).Conclusions:Serum levels of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 were degraded in patients with SLE and they can reflect the activity of the disease.The imbalance between these two factors may play an important role in SLE pathogenesis.