Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
J Clin Invest. 2013 Aug;123(8):3201-3. doi: 10.1172/JCI67526. Epub 2013 Aug 1.
The core of an atheromatous plaque contains lipids, macrophages, and cellular debris, typically covered by a fibrous cap that separates the thrombogenic core from the blood. Rupture of the fibrous cap causes most fatal myocardial infarctions. Interstitial collagen confers tensile strength on the cap, as it does in skin and tendons. In 1994, Peter Libby and colleagues demonstrated overexpression of collagenolytic enzymes in atheromatous plaques and implicated MMPs in the destabilization of these lesions.
动脉粥样硬化斑块的核心包含脂质、巨噬细胞和细胞碎片，通常被一层纤维帽覆盖，将血栓形成的核心与血液隔离开来。纤维帽的破裂导致了大多数致命性的心肌梗死。在皮肤和肌腱中，间质胶原赋予帽状结构拉伸强度。1994 年，Peter Libby 及其同事在动脉粥样硬化斑块中证实了胶原酶的过度表达，并表明 MMPs 参与了这些病变的不稳定。
