Modulation of neutral protease expression in human mesangial cells by hyperglycaemic culture

We report on the effect of prolonged hyperglycaemic (11 and 30 mM D-glucose) culture conditions on human mesangial cell matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), plasminogen activators and their inhibitors. The results indicate that hyperglycaemic conditions modulate the potential proteolytic activity of the enzymes secreted by confluent cultures of these cells. Gelatinase A (MMP-2) activity was always higher in cultures maintained under hyperglycaemic than under normoglycaemic conditions (4 mM D-glucose). In contrast, gelatinase B (MMP-9) activity was decreased under the same conditions. Matrilysin (MMP-7) activity was decreased by up to 100% under hyperglycaemic conditions. Reverse transcriptase-PCR and Western-blotting analyses indicate that in all cases both the transcripts and the protein level were correlated with enzymic activity. One tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases, TIMP-2, was barely detectable under hyperglycaemic conditions (30 mM D-glucose). In contrast, TIMP-1 increased during the initial 2 weeks of culture in hyperglycaemic conditions and remained elevated to the end of the experiment (4 weeks). Under normoglycaemic conditions TIMP-1 decreased after 2 weeks of culture. Hyperglycaemic conditions also decreased markedly the activity of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). This seemed to be due to increased synthesis of its inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, under these conditions rather than to decreased expression of the t-PA enzyme.