Association of Gene Variants in Matrix Metalloproteinases and Their Tissue Inhibitors with Intraventricular Haemorrhage in Preterm Infants

The objective of the present study is to examine the association between the presence of various forms of matrix metalloproteinase genes (<i>MMP-1</i>, <i>MMP-9</i>, <i>TIMP-1</i> and <i>TIMP-2</i>) and their tissue inhibitors, and the incidence of intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) in premature neonates. The data for this study were obtained from samples of peripheral venous blood, which were collected and stored post-delivery. The techniques employed for the purpose of genotyping were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The population that was examined comprised 100 patients with a gestational age (GA) ranging from 22 to 33 weeks and birth weight (BW) ranging from 432 to 2100 g. In the cohort of enrolled patients, 48 cases of IVH were observed. As indicated by the findings of this study, the majority of observed correlations between <i>MMP-1</i>, <i>MMP-9</i>, <i>TIMP-1</i>, and <i>TIMP-2</i> variants and IVH did not demonstrate statistical significance, with the exception of the T allele of <i>TIMP1 rs4898</i>. Nevertheless, the findings of this study indicated a potential impact of these variants on the incidence of IVH. The present study suggests that further research is required to elucidate the role of <i>MMP</i>/<i>TIMP</i> polymorphisms in the aforementioned disease.