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Acute Aortic Disease.. - Index of

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Matrix Metalloproteinases in <strong>Aortic</strong> Aneurysm 137<br />

Hovespian et al. (47) were able to demonstrate concordance between circulating<br />

and tissue levels <strong>of</strong> MMPs in AAA disease. For human TAA, recent work at our<br />

center has demonstrated, for the first time, that there is a correlation between<br />

tissue levels <strong>of</strong> MMP-9 and circulating levels <strong>of</strong> this enzyme. This pilot study<br />

involved ten patients with thoracic aneurysms who underwent elective operative<br />

repair <strong>of</strong> ascending TAAs. We noted an extremely strong (R squared = .913)<br />

correlation between tissue and circulating MMP-9 levels (Fig. 4). We are currently<br />

continuing our work in this area, and if this correlation holds true, it could represent<br />

an advance in the way patients with early TAAs are monitored.<br />

MMPs as “biomarkers”? The fourth question is whether circulating MMPs<br />

are reflective <strong>of</strong> overall expansion and complication rates <strong>of</strong> TAAs. For AAAs,<br />

McMillan et al. demonstrated a relationship between circulating MMP 9 levels<br />

and abdominal aortic diameter (56). For TAAs, no published study to date has<br />

addressed this issue, but it is one on which work is progressing at our institution.<br />

Benefit from pharmacologic inhibition? The answer to the fifth question as<br />

to whether pharmacologic manipulation <strong>of</strong> MMPs can result in a beneficial change<br />

in aneurysm behavior is slowly beginning to become clear. The idea <strong>of</strong> medical<br />

therapy for TAAs is not new. For patients with early or inoperable TAAs, decreased<br />

growth rate with “anti-impulse therapy”—limiting the heart rate, blood pressure,<br />

and pressure up-slope in systole (Dp/Dt)—is a standard and well-accepted practice,<br />

both for AAAs and TAAs, which has met with varied success since its introduction<br />

in 1965 (62–64), mostly in limiting progression <strong>of</strong> aortic dissections. This therapy<br />

is based on the premise that if the forces on the aortic wall, most importantly<br />

the wall stress, can be limited, aortic expansion will also be ameliorated. The<br />

mainstay <strong>of</strong> anti-impulse therapy is currently beta-adrenergic receptor blockade.<br />

However, enthusiasm for aneurysm treatment with beta blockade should be<br />

tempered by the results <strong>of</strong> a randomized trial <strong>of</strong> propranolol for aneurysm<br />

Tissue MMP9 (pg/ml)<br />

450000<br />

400000<br />

350000<br />

300000<br />

250000<br />

200000<br />

150000<br />

100000<br />

50000<br />

0 0 200000<br />

MMP Correlations with Plasma and Tissue<br />

y = 0.3536x + 21344<br />

R 2 = 0.913<br />

400000 600000 800000 1000000 1200000<br />

Plasma MMP9 (pg/ml)<br />

Series1<br />

Linear (Series1)<br />

Figure 4 Correlation between serum and tissue matrix metalloproteinase levels in<br />

thoracic aortic aneurysms. (Unpublished Yale data.)

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