Significance of serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in chronic hepatitis C patients.

Liver fibrosis (LF), where the chronic HCV infection is a major cause, is a characteristic of chronic liver diseases. LF results from chronic damage to the liver in conjunction with the accumulation of ECM proteins. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their specific inhibitors (TIMPs) are thought to play an essential role in the hepatic lesions.