Epigallocatechin gallate's protective effect against MMP7 in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa patients.

The analysis of phenotype-genotype correlations of patients suffering from recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) evidenced intrafamilial and interfamilial phenotype variability occurring for the same mutation of COL7A1; this underscores the role of other genetics environmental factors in the expressivity of the disease. In this work, we checked whether matrilysin 1 (matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)7) could take part in the epidermal detachment in RDEB. Furthermore, we investigated epigallocatechin 3 gallate (EGCG) to determine whether it could inhibit matrilysin activities on collagen type VII and fibrillin 1 known to be associated with the dermo-epidermal junction.