Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disease characterized by progressive depletion of motor neurons in brain, brain stem, and spinal cord, whereas Hirayama disease (HD) results from anterior horn cell loss in the lower cervical cord. On the other hand, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are known to digest components of the extracellular matrix. Of these, MMP-9 is considered as a marker of neuroinflammation. Materials and methods: We have measured MMP-9 levels in the serum of 30 patients with ALS, 10 patients of HD, and 25 healthy controls using ELISA method. Results: MMP-9 levels were significantly elevated in the patients suffering from ALS (P < 0.01) and HD (P < 0.05). Furthermore, MMP-9 levels in ALS have a significant positive correlation (R2 = 0.9) with the duration of the disease. Conclusions: These results suggest that neuroinflammation is an underlying component in ALS pathology and further opens up the search for suitable biomarkers.
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