Circulating levels of MMP2 and MMP9 are independently associated with development of an acute MI rather than stable angina as the initial clinical presentation of coronary artery disease.
MMP-2, -9 and TIMP-1 expressions were assessed by real-time PCR from the debris collected into distal protective vascular guards from patients with stable angina (SA-Group, n=16), acute coronary syndrome (ACS-Group, n=16) undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).