(1) There are several patients with asthma–COPD overlap (ACO). A peptide derived from the primary sequence of a kallikrein inhibitor isolated Bauhinia bauhinioides (pep-BbKI) has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Purpose: To investigate effects pep-BbKI treatment in an ACO model compare them those corticosteroids. (2) BALB/c mice were divided into groups: SAL (saline), OVA (oval...

The activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in synovial fluids (SF) sampled from dogs with joint disorders was investigated by gelatin zymography and densitometry. Pro-MMP-2 showed similar activity levels in dogs with idiopathic polyarthritis (IPA; n=17) or canine rheumatoid arthritis (cRA; n=4), and healthy controls (n=10). However, dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture (C...

We previously reported that CS (chondroitin sulfate) GAG (glycosaminoglycan), expressed on MCSP (melanoma-specific CS proteoglycan), is important for regulating MT3-MMP [membrane-type 3 MMP (matrix metalloproteinase)]-mediated human melanoma invasion and gelatinolytic activity in vitro. In the present study, we sought to determine if CS can directly enhance MT3-MMP-mediated activation of pro-MM...

Membrane type 1 metalloprotease (MT1-MMP) is a transmembrane metalloprotease that plays a major role in the extracellular matrix remodeling, directly by degrading several of its components and indirectly by activating pro-MMP2. We investigated the effects of MT1-MMP overexpression on in vitro and in vivo properties of human breast adenocarcinoma MCF7 cells, which do not express MT1-MMP or MMP-2...

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Xiaochuanping powder (XP), a traditional Chinese prescription for the treatment of cough and asthma, on serum concentrations of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-4, eosinophil counts, as well as expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 in the lung tissue...

introduction: exercise training increases skeletal muscle capillary density, but the molecular mechanisms of this process are not yet clear. the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of acute long- term submaximal exercise on serum vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) as the main angiogenic factor, and matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 ( mmp-2 and mmp-9), as the degrading ...

The tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases 1-4 (TIMPs) have discrete regulatory roles in the activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 (gelatinase A), an important basement membrane-degrading MMP pivotal to tumor metastasis and angiogenesis. TIMP-2 binds to both the hemopexin C domain of progelatinase A and the active site of membrane type-1 (MT1) MMP. This trimeric complex presents the c...

Macro- and microvascular endothelial cells (EC) formed tubular structures when cultured within a 3D fibrin matrix, a process that was enhanced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) and an angiogenic cocktail composed of nine angiogenic factors. Endothelial tubulogenesis was also increased in co-culture ...