Effects of copper and zinc on the production of homocysteine-induced extracellular matrix metalloproteinase-2 in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells

Objective To study the effects of copper and zinc on the production of homocysteine-induced extracellular matrix metalloproteinase-2 in cultured rats vascular smooth muscle cells. Methods We examined the effects of different homocysteine levels (0-1000 micromol/l) on matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) production, and the effects of different copper and zinc concentrations (0-300 micromol/l) on homocysteine-induced MMP-2 in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) using gelatin zymography and western blotting. We further compared the changes of MMP-2 under various treatments for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Results Homocysteine (50-1000 micromol/l) increased the production of MMP-2 significantly in a dose-dependent manner. Copper decreased the homocysteine-induced MMP-2 under these conditions in a dose-dependent manner, but zinc did not. Production of MMP-2 under various treatments for 72 h increased more than 24 h and 48 h. Conclusions Extracellular added copper decreased homocysteine-induced MMP-2 secretion.