Matrix Metalloproteinases in Glaucoma: An Updated Overview

ABSTRACT

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important regulators of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and are involved in many stages of cellular growth and development. An imbalance of MMP expression is also the basis of many diseases, including eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma, dry eye, corneal ulcer, keratoconus. This paper describes the role of MMPs in the glaucoma and their role in the glaucomatous trabecular meshwork (TM), aqueous outflow channel, retina, and optic nerve (ON). This review also summarizes several treatments for glaucoma that target MMPs imbalance and suggests that MMPs may represent a viable therapeutic target for glaucoma.

KEYWORDS:

• Aqueous humor outflow
• extracellular matrix
• glaucoma
• matrix metalloproteinase
• neuroprotection. trabecular meshwork

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

Yang Zhang and Ruiqi Han as the first author, they contributed equally. Corresponding authors: Yisheng Zhong and Junjue Chen contributed equally, and Yisheng Zhong will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Supplemental material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08820538.2023.2211149

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [NO. 81870652, NO. 82070953, NO. 82000885]; the Shanghai Science and Technology Committee Project Foundation [NO. 21Y11909700]; the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning Project Foundation [NO. 2020LP034, NO. 2018JP008]; and the Ruijin Youth NSFC Cultivation Fundation [NO. 2019QNPY01026]. The funding sources had no involvement all through the study.