Expression And Significance Of MMP-1,MMP-3 On Lens Epithelial Cells(LECs) Of Human Age-related Cataract

Objective: Cataract is a kind of fibrosis disease caused by abnormal accumulation or degradation of extracellular matrix(ECM) and transformation of lens epithelial cells(LECs).Matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs) is considered to participate in the occurrence of cataract development process by destructing the balance of ECM deposition and degradation. To investigate the expression and significance of MMP-1 and MMP-3 on LECs of age-related cataract and transparent lens ,study the effects of MMP-1 and MMP-3 and the relationship between MMP-1 and MMP-3 in the process of cataract occurrence and development.Methods: Anterior lens capsules of 81 specimens of age-related cataract were obtained as experimental groups which include 22 nuclear cataract, 25 subcapsular cataract and 26 cortial cataract.The control group were 8 cases without cataract. Immunohistochemical streptavidin-peroxidases(SP) method was used to detect the expression of MMP-1 and MMP-3 in the control groups and the experimental groups.Results:1. No expression of MMP-l can be found in the control and nuclear cataract lens epithelial cells,there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05),The expression of MMP-1 in subcapsular cataract and cortial cataract group was much higher than that in the control group , the difference between them were significantly different ( P<0.05 ) . The expression of MMP-1 in cortial cataract was much higher than that in the subcapsular cataract,the difference between them was significantly different(P<0.05). 2. No expression of MMP-3 can be found in the control and nuclear cataract lens epithelial cells,there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05),The expression of MMP-3 in subcapsular cataract and cortial cataract group was much higher than that in the control group , the difference between them were significantly different ( P<0.05 ) . The expression of MMP-3 in cortial cataract was much higher than that in the subcapsular cataract,the difference between them was significantly different(P<0.05).3.Expression of MMP-1 was positively correlated with that of MMP-3 (r=0.991,P<0.05).Conclusion:1.There was no expression of MMP-l and MMP-3 in normal human and nuclear cataract LECs. The expression of MMP-1 and MMP-3 was found in subcapsular cataract and cortial cataract, which is the highest in cortial cataract LECs.The expression of MMP-1 was positively correlated with that of MMP-3,which indicated that the two protein played a critical role during the development of age-related cataract.2.Different the expression between MMP-l and MMP-3 was found in different types of cataract, which indicated that there are some MMPs play a critical role during the development of different types age-related cataract,and there are some other MMPs or cytokine play a supporting role.