Activation of MMP-2 as a key event in oxidative stress injury to the heart.

Oxygen and nitrogen derived free radicals play a crucial role in both cardiac physiology and pathology. In this review we discuss how these molecules interact in the cardiac cell, some aspects of their physiological importance, and their pathological effects with a special focus on the activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as an early event in oxidative stress damage. MMPs are a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases which play an …