Background and Aims

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 plays an important role in connective tissue remodeling, degradation of collagen types II, III, IV, IX, and X, proteoglycans, fibronectin, laminin, and elastin. In addition, MMP-3 can also activate other MMPs such as MMP-1, MMP-7, and MMP-9. Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a cholestatic, autoimmune liver disease, characterized by the progressive destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts, leading to cholestasis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure. During fibrosis the balance between production and degradation of the extracellular matrix surrounding hepatocytes is disturbed.

Our aims in the present study were to determine whether the measurement of serum MMP-3 is clinically useful for assessing ongoing liver fibrolysis in patients with PBC

Methods

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 concentration was determined by commercially available ELISA kit (AESKU, Germany) in 70 PBC patients and 30 healthy controls.

Results

The frequencies of PBC patients with higher MMP-3 levels were 60%. PBC patients had greater MMP-3 levels than healthy controls (92.7 ± 118.9 versus 20.8 ±15.7 ng/ml, p< 0.001). Serum MMP-3 levels were significantly elevated in patients with higher bilirubin concentration (120.3 ± 119.2 vs. 66.5 ± 41.8 ng/mL, P< 0.01) and correlated with specific for PBC anti-nuclear autoantibodies.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated significantly higher MMP-3 levels in PBC patients than in healthy controls and positive correlation with various clinical parameters. Serum MMP-3 was associated with hepatic dysfunction and could play a role in the pathophysiology of hepatic fibrosis in PBC.