Production and activity of matrix metalloproteinases during liver fibrosis progression of chronic hepatitis C patients

Figure 3 Matrix metalloproteinase productions according to fibrosis stage. Serum concentrations of A: Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2; B: MMP-7 and C: MMP-9 of chronic hepatitis C patients classified according to fibrosis grades F0, F1, F2, F3 and F4. Statistical differences of MMP-7 were observed in 1 = F0 vs F1^a; 2 = F0 vs F3^b; 3 = F0 vs F4^b; 4 = F1 vs F3^b; 5 = F1 vs F4^b; 6 = F2 vs F3^a, 7 = F3 vs F4^b. Data are expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean. ^aP < 0.05; ^bP < 0.01.