Transgenic expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 induces coronary artery ectasia.

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is generally diagnosed in patients undergoing arteriography for presumptive atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. CAE is commonly considered as a variant of atherosclerotic disease; however, recent studies suggest that CAE is the result of a systemic vascular disorder. There is increasing evidence that aneurysmal vascular disease is a systemic disorder characterized by enhanced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased synthesis of enzymes capable of degrading elastin and other components of the vascular wall. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 degrades a number of extracellular substrates, including elastin and has been shown to play a critical role in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms. This study characterizes the development of CAE in a unique murine transgenic model with cardiac-specific expression of active MMP-2. Transgenic mice were engineered to express an active form of MMP-2 under control of the α-myosin heavy chain promoter. Coronary artery diameters were quantified, along with studies of arterial structure, elastin integrity and vascular expression of the MMP-2 transgene. Latex casts quantified total coronary artery volumes and arterial branching. Mid-ventricular coronary luminal areas were increased in the MMP-2 transgenics, coupled with foci of aneurysmal dilation, ectasia and perivascular fibrosis. There was no evidence for atherogenesis. Coronary vascular elastin integrity was compromised and coupled with inflammatory cell infiltration. Latex casts of the coronary arteries displayed ectasia with fusiform dilatation. The MMP-2 transgenic closely replicates human CAE and supports a critical and initiating role for this enzyme in the pathogenesis of this disorder.