Matrix metalloproteinases: keys to healthier blood vessels in diabetes?

In this issue of Journal of Endocrinology, Schuyler et al. show that intimal lesions in atherosclerosis-prone diabetic apoE(-/-) mice are reduced by insulin treatment. An increase of metalloproteinase-9 expression was observed in untreated diabetic apoE(-/-) mice; this was absent in insulin-treated mice. The study suggests that hindering of tissue-remodeling metalloproteinases may account for the beneficial effects of proper metabolic control in patients with diabetes. This clinically relevant finding prompts further exploration. Journal of Endocrinology (2011) 210, 1-2