Specific changes in plasma concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9, TIMP-1 and TGF- 1 in patients with distinct types of primary glomerulonephritis

Dysregulated renal expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMP) and TGF-beta1 contribute to the development of tubulo-interstitial fibrosis characteristic of progressive forms of primary glomerulonephritis (GN). There is little information on the circulating levels of these proteins in human GNs. Here, we assessed whether different histopathological GN types could be associated with distinct plasma patterns of MMPs and regulatory proteins.