Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, accounting for 600,000 deaths each
year in the United States. In addition, heart failure accounts for 37% of health care spending.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) increase after myocardial infarction (MI) and correlate
with left ventricular dysfunction in heart failure patients. MMPs regulate the remodeling
process by facilitating extracellular matrix turnover and inflammatory signaling. Due to the
critical role MMPs play during cardiac remodeling, there is a need to better understand the …