Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026

Lighting Up the Pathways to Caspase Activation Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation
Published on: March 5, 2018
Inhibitory effects of caspase inhibitors on the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2
1Department of Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Research Centre, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2S2.
Abstract:
Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, a zinc-dependent endopeptidase, plays a detrimental role in several diseases including ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury of the heart. Caspases are a group of cysteine-dependent, aspartate-directed proteases which regulate cellular apoptosis. Interestingly, protective effects of caspase inhibitors independent of apoptosis have been shown in I/R injury of the heart. The cardioprotective actions of both these classes of protease inhibitors led us to hypothesize that caspase inhibitors may also reduce MMP-2 activity. Five known caspase inhibitors (Z-IE(OMe)TD(OMe)-fmk, Ac-DEVD-CHO, Ac-LEHD-cmk, Z-VAD-fmk and Ac-YVAD-cmk) were tested for their possible inhibitory effects on MMP-2 activity in comparison to the MMP inhibitors ONO-4817 and ARP-100 (which themselves were unable to inhibit caspase-3 activity). MMP-2 activity was assessed by an in vitro troponin I (TnI) proteolysis assay and a quantitative kinetic fluorescence assay using a fluorogenic peptide substrate (OmniMMP). TnI proteolysis was also measured by western blot in neonatal cardiomyocytes subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation injury. Using human recombinant MMP-2 and TnI as its substrate, the caspase inhibitors, in comparison with ONO-4817, significantly inhibited MMP-2-mediated TnI degradation in a concentration-dependent manner. The kinetic assay using OmniMMP revealed that these caspase inhibitors blocked MMP-2 activity in a concentration-dependent manner with similar IC50 values. TnI degradation in neonatal cardiomyocytes was enhanced following hypoxia-reoxygenation and this was blocked by ARP-100 and Ac-LEHD-cmk. Inhibition of MMP-2 activity is an additional pharmacological action which contributes to the protective effects of some caspase inhibitors.
Related Concept Videos
Caspases
Role of Matrix Metalloproteases in Degradation of ECM
A...
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
Inhibition of Cdk Activity

