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Updated: May 26, 2026

Scanning Electron Microscopy of Macerated Tissue to Visualize the Extracellular Matrix
Published on: June 14, 2016
Regulation of myocardial matrix metalloproteinase expression and activity by cardiac fibroblasts
Neil A Turner1, Karen E Porter
1Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Leeds Institute of Genetics, Health and Therapeutics (LIGHT) and Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Centre (MCRC), University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. n.a.turner@leeds.ac.uk
Abstract:
Cardiac fibroblasts (CF) play a key role in orchestrating the structural remodeling of the myocardium in response to injury or stress, in part through direct regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of over 25 zinc-dependent proteases that together have the capacity to degrade all the protein components of the ECM. Fibroblasts are a major source of several MMPs in the heart, thereby representing a viable therapeutic target for regulating ECM turnover in cardiac pathologies characterized by adverse remodeling, such as myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, hypertension and heart failure. This review summarizes current knowledge on the identity and regulation of MMPs expressed by CF and discusses future directions for reducing adverse myocardial remodeling by modulating the expression and/or activity of CF-derived MMPs.
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