MMP-9 and non-invasive markers in evaluating MASLD and atherosclerosis

Background

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-9) play a vital role in extracellular matrix remodeling in metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. This study assesses MMP-9 levels in conjunction with non-invasive scoring systems (BAAT, BARD, FIB-4, NAFLD Fibrosis Score, and the ALT/AST ratio) aiming to enhance early diagnosis and disease monitoring.

Methods

The study included 88 participants: 25 normal individuals and 63 MASLD patients with varying grades (S1 to S3). Atherosclerosis was staged into four stages. The current study measured MMP-9 concentrations in MASLD patients and analyzed their correlation with MASLD grades, atherosclerosis stages, and non-invasive scoring systems (BAAT, BARD, FIB-4, NAFLD Fibrosis Score, and the ALT/AST ratio).

Results

Elevated MMP-9 levels were significantly associated with S2 and S3 MASLD grades (p = 0.02, 0.04; respectively) compared to controls and atherosclerosis progression (p = 0.05). Although ROC analysis showed AUC = 0.90 for discriminating advanced plaque, only two patients in our cohort had advanced plaque, which limits the generalizability of this result. Spearman correlation analysis reveals a positive correlation between MMP-9 concentration and the progression of MASLD (r = 0.4, p ≤ 0.01), atherosclerosis (r = 0.3, p ≤ 0.05), and BAAT (r = 0.254, p ≤ 0.05). BAAT score also correlated with BARD and FIB-4 scores ((r = 0.3, p ≤ 0.05, and r = 0.5 p ≤ 0.01; respectively). The highest correlation was seen between NAFLD Fibrosis score and FIB-4 (r = 0.7, p ≤ 0.01).

Conclusion

MMP-9 is a probable biomarker for assessing MASLD and may improve cardiovascular risk evaluation, especially when combined with BAAT score.

Loại tài liệu:

Article - Bài báo

Tác giả:

Ghada M. Salum

Đề mục:

Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

Nhà xuất bản:

Elsevier

Ngày xuất bản:

September 2026

Số trang/ tờ:

Định dạng:

pdf

Định danh tư liệu:

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgeb.2026.100733 | ISSN 1687-157X

Nguồn gốc:

Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Volume 24, Issue 3, September 2026, 100733

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