Levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 in patients with and without coronary artery disease and relation to complex and noncomplex coronary plaques.

We investigated the association between serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and coronary artery disease (CAD) in 185 patients who underwent elective coronary angiography. MMP-1 levels did not differ between patients who had CAD and those who did not and did not correlate with the number of >50% stenotic vessels or segments, but MMP-1 levels were significantly higher in patients who had CAD and complex coronary lesions than in those who did not have such lesions and those who did not have CAD. High serum levels of MMP-1 were associated with the presence of complex lesions in patients who had CAD.