During liver fibrosis resolution, in the absence of MMP9, the ratio of (MMP9 + MMP13)/TIMP1 and the ratio of (MMP2+ MMP14)/TIMP2 were decreased, and the collagen levels were increased.
The increased MMP-2/TIMP-2 and suppressed MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratios in IHC and in real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) seemed to correlate with the degree of liver fibrosis.
These data indicated that extracts from Ceratonia siliqua pods may play an important role in combating schistosomal hepatopathology and may inhibit granuloma formation and liver fibrosis through down-regulation of TIMP-2 expression.