Serum Levels Of MMP-1 And MMP-3 In Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Correlation With Clinical Activity And Radiological Damage

Objective: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a gene family of neutral Zn2+ dependent proteolytic enzymes, are a large group of enzymes responsible for the degradation and remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). They are important not only in normal physiological processes but also in pathological conditions such as arthritis. Of the MMPs family, matrix metalloproteinases 1(MMP-1) and matrix metallo- proteinases 3 (MMP-3) are thought to play a prominent role in the degradation and destruction of cartilage and other components of connective tissue in the joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to determine serum levels of MMP-1 and MMP-3 in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis, to analyse how these markers reflect the clinical activity of rheumatoid arthritis compared to traditional parameters of disease activity in RA like swollen joint index (SJI), tender joint index (TJI), duration of morning stiffness,erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor titer (RF) ,radiological progression and joint functional stage, to evaluate the significance of MMP-1 and MMP-3 levels in relation to the...