Cardiology Letters 2021, 30(2):111-118

The effect of age and hypertension on activity of circulating matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) in rats

Kollárová M¹, Púzserová A², Bališ P², Radošinská D³, Tóthová Ľ⁴, Barteková M^{1, 5}, Barančík M⁵, Radošinská J^{1, 5}

¹ Fyziologický ústav Lekárskej fakulty, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Bratislava

² Centrum experimentálnej medicíny, Ústav normálnej a patologickej fyziológie, Slovenská akadémia vied, Bratislava

³ Prírodovedecka fakulta, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Bratislava

⁴ Ústav molekulárnej biomedicíny Lekárskej fakulty, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Bratislava

⁵ Centrum experimentálnej medicíny, Ústav pre výskum srdca, Slovenská akadémia vied, Bratislava, Slovenská republika

Aims: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular. The aim of the proposed study was to monitor the activities of MMP-2 and MMP9 in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their normotensive controls - Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) of different age categories.

Methods: Animals were divided into 6 groups, based on age (7, 20, and 52 weeks) and normo/hypertension: WKY-7, WKY-20, WKY-52, SHR-7, SHR-20, and SHR-52. Plasma activities of MMPs were determined by gelatin zymography. In addition, parameters of oxidative stress and antioxidant status, as well as NT-proBNP, as a marker of cardiac function and neurohumoral activation, were monitored.

Results: In young 7-week-old hypertensive animals (SHR-7) the activity of MMP-2 was higher compared with normotensive (WKY-7), whereas in older 52-week-old hypertensive animals (SHR-52) the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was lower compared with normotensive controls (WKY-52). Regarding age-related changes, MMP-2 activities decreased with age and MMP-9 activities increased with age in both normotensive and hypertensive rats. The parameters of oxidative stress, antioxidant status, and NT-proBNP levels did not worsen with age.

Conclusion: Our results point to differences in the activation of different MMPs during aging. In addition, inhibition of MMP-2 could be therapeutically useful in developing hypertension. However, inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 may not be desirable in fully developed and stabilized hypertension.

Keywords: gelatinases; hypertension; oxidative stress; spontaneously hypertensive rats

Published: February 1, 2021  Show citation