摘要：

Introduction: atherosclerosis is a multifactor disease which includes inflammatory, metabolic and autoimmune components. It is a complex chronic inflammatory disease that affects arteries and is characterized by atherosclerotic plaques and phenotypic changes of vascular cells. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a key role in the: physiology of connective tissue development, morphogenesis and wound healing. Their unregulated activity has been implicated in numerous disease processes including arthritis, tumor cell metastasis and atherosclerosis. MMPs contribute to collagen breakdown in atherosclerotic plaques. Furthermore, matrix degradation by MMPs may cause the plaque instability and rupture that leads to the clinical symptoms of atherosclerosis ; unstable angina, myocardial infarction and stroke. Patients and methods: patients were selected from a stratified population that are controlled or treated at the Department of Toracovascular Surgery in Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka and divided in three groups: patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease, asymptomatic patients and blood donors as healthy controls. The method of enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) was used to determine enzyme expression of MMP-9. The phenotypic profiles of peripheral blood lymphocytes were done by flow cytometry. Results: patients with atherosclerosis had a statistically significantly elevated level of MMP-9 in the urine and the percentage of cells of innate immunity in peripheral blood in comparison with healthy volunteers. Innate immune cells statistically significant correlate with MMP-9 concentration. Conclusion: These results provide new evidence about the interaction of the concentration of MMP-9 in urine, the innate immunity, the degree of stenosis of the carotid arteries and the incidence of symptoms.

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