@article{3113219,
    title = "The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-11 protein in various types of glomerulonephritis",
    author = "Nakopoulou, L. and Lazaris, A.C. and Boletis, I. and Michail, S. and Iatrou, C. and Papadakis, G. and Athanassiadou, S. and Stathakis, C.",
    journal = "Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation",
    year = "2007",
    volume = "22",
    number = "1",
    pages = "109-117",
    issn = "0931-0509, 1460-2385",
    doi = "10.1093/ndt/gfl618",
    keywords = "autacoid;  CD68 antigen;  Ki 67 antigen;  neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody;  stromelysin 3, article;  cell aggregation;  cell count;  cell proliferation;  controlled study;  disease association;  glomerulonephritis;  human;  human cell;  human tissue;  immunohistochemistry;  kidney biopsy;  lupus erythematosus;  lupus erythematosus nephritis;  macrophage;  major clinical study;  mesangium;  microscopic polyangiitis;  neutrophil chemotaxis;  priority journal;  protein expression;  small vessel vasculitis;  Wegener granulomatosis, Antigens, CD;  Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic;  Biopsy;  Cell Proliferation;  Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic;  Glomerulonephritis;  Humans;  Immunohistochemistry;  Inflammation;  Ki-67 Antigen;  Kidney Diseases;  Lupus;  Macrophages;  Matrix Metalloproteinase 11",
    abstract = "Background. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated to play important roles in a number of pathological processes such as inflammation. In human glomeruli, the mesangial matrix turnover is controlled by a dynamic equilibrium between synthesis and degradation to which metalloproteinases are known to contribute. Metalloproteinase-11 (MMP-11) was originally discovered as a gene whose expression was associated with tissue remodelling. The aim of this study was to investigate whether MMP-11 protein is expressed in various types of glomerulonephritis and to elucidate the role of this expression. Methods. Using standard immunohistochemistry, we analysed MMP-11 expression in renal biopsies from 95 patients with primary glomerulonephritis (n = 44) and secondary, either lupus-associated glomerulonephritis (n = 22) or pauci-immune, ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis due to small vessel vasculitis (n = 23) or Wegener's granulomatosis (n = 6). The examined cases were divided into two groups (proliferative and non-proliferative). Anti-Ki67 and -CD68 immunostaining was also performed in order to estimate cell proliferation and number of macrophages, respectively. Results. MMP-11 immunopositivity was detected in the glomeruli of the majority of pathological samples. The highest incidence of MMP-11 immunopositivity (26.3%) was noticed in glomerulonephritides associated with microscopic polyangiitis and Wegener's granulomatosis. Generally, MMP-11 was often expressed in segmental areas of sclerosis, microadhesions, cellular and fibrocellular crescents. Fibrotic crescents and fibrotic glomeruli were constantly MMP-11-immunonegative. In MMP-11 immunoreactive glomeruli, increased numbers of macrophages were often detected in the mesangium (P = 0.001), while no such observation could be made with regard to proliferating cells (P = 0.170). Conclusions. MMP-11, like an inflammatory mediator, may exert a chemotactic influence on macrophages which aggregate in the mesangium; MMP-11 is not likely to have a parallel mitogenic or antifibrotic effect in diseased glomeruli. © 2007 Oxford University Press."
}