N -Acetyl-Cysteine Decreases the Matrix-Degrading Capacity of Macrophage-Derived Foam Cells

Abstract
Background—Atherosclerotic plaque destabilization triggers clinical cardiovascular disease and thus represents an attractive therapeutic target. Weakening of tissue through the action of matrix-degrading enzymes, called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), released by resident macrophages was previously implicated in unstable vascular syndromes. Methods and Results—We used a hypercholesterolemic rabbit model of atherosclerosis to investigate the gelatinolytic activity associated with macrophage-derived foam cells (FCs). Gelatinolytic activity and expression of MMP-9 but not of MMP-2 cosegregated with macrophage FCs in aortic lesions. Macrophage-derived gelatinases were further investigated in vitro. MMP-9 was identified as the main macrophage-derived gelatinase in cells isolated from aortic lesions and from granuloma induced in the same rabbits to increase cell yield. Importantly, detection of activated MMP-9 in the FC culture medium supports the notion that these cells can independently initiate processing ...

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