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Imbalanced Matrix Metalloproteinases in Cardiovascular Complications of End‐Stage Kidney Disease: A Potential Pharmacological Target
Author(s) -
Marson Bernardo P.,
Poli de Figueiredo Carlos E.,
TanusSantos Jose E.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
basic and clinical pharmacology and toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1742-7843
pISSN - 1742-7835
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2012.00863.x
Subject(s) - medicine , kidney disease , disease , intensive care medicine , dialysis , end stage kidney disease , bioinformatics , biology
End‐stage kidney disease ( ESKD ) is a major health problem associated with very high morbidity and mortality secondary to cardiovascular complications, especially in ESKD patients on dialysis. Therefore, exploring key mechanisms underlying cardiovascular alterations associated with ESKD may offer reasonable pharmacological targets that may benefit these patients. Imbalanced matrix metalloproteinases ( MMP ) activities have been implicated in many cardiovascular diseases, and growing evidence now indicates that excessive MMP activities contribute to cardiovascular complications in ESKD patients. However, there is no study on the effects of MMP inhibitors ( MMPI s) in such patients. MMPI s may prevent against the vascular and cardiac changes associated with ESKD . In this M ini R eview, we aimed at reviewing current evidence supporting the idea that pharmacological inhibition of imbalanced MMP activities in ESKD may decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular complications in ESKD patients. However, MMP s have variable effects during different phases of kidney disease, and therefore optimal timing for MMP inhibition during a disease process may vary significantly and is largely undetermined. While current research shows that MMP s play a role in the pathogenesis of the cardiovascular alterations found in ESKD patients, clinical studies are required to validate the idea of using MMPI s in ESKD .