Abstract:

Objective    To study the role of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the injury and repair of brain tissue in cerebral infarction patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods    60 patients were enrolled in this study，including 30 cerebral infarction patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMCI group: 11 men, 19 women;  mean age 71.2 years old,  from 60 to 80 yrs)， and 30 simple cerebral infarction patients (CI group: 12 men, 18 women; mean age 70.3 years old,  from 60 to 80 years). 20 healthy subjects were recruited  as a control (C group: 9 men, 11 women; mean age 69.0 years old,   from 60 to 80 yrs)． Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the levels of serum MMP-2 and VEGF in the DMCI group and the CI group on the first and 7th days after onset. The same protocol was applied in the control group. Results    On the first day and 7th days after the onset of infarction, the level of serum MMP-2 was significantly higher in the DMCI group compared with the CI and control group (P<0.05). The DMCI group showed the same serum VEGF level as the CI group (P﹥0.05)on the first day after the onset, which was considerably higher than  the C group (P<0.01). On the seventh day, the level of serum VEGF was significantly lower in the DMCI group than the CI group (P<0.01), but still higher than C group (P<0.01). The levels of serum MMP-2 and VEGF on the 7th days were significantly higher than those on the first day in both the DMCI group and the CI group (P<0.05). In the DMCI group, the level of serum MMP-2 was positively correlated  with fasting blood sugar (FBS) and HbAlc (r=0.829， P=0.000； r=0.855， P=0.000), however, VEGF was negatively correlated with both (r=-0.501， P=0.005； r=-0.528， P=0.003）. Also,  the level of serum MMP-2 was negatively  correlated  with, VEGF (r=-0.586， P=0.001).  Conclusion    There are significant correlations among the levels of serum MMP-2, VEGF and abnormal glycol-metabolism in cerebral infarction patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in two distinct time spans after  onset.  MMP-2 and VEGF take part in the pathophysiological processes of diabetic cerebral infarction.

Key words: Cerebral infarction； Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Matrix metalloproteinase2； Vascular endothelial growth factor