RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE-3 LEVELS AND DISEASE ACTIVITY AND DESTRUCTIVE CHANGES IN JOINTS

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by persistent synovial inflammation and gradually progressive bone destruction. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a family of zinc-containing enzymes, have been found to play an important role in the degradation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM).