MMP9 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: Moreover, D’Amico, et al. [111] showed significantly higher plasma levels of MMP-9 in NASH patients (69.0 ± 14.5 ng/mL (SD)) than in HCV-infected liver disease patients (61.7 ± 11.0) (healthy controls 39.7 ± 4.6), and different MMP-9 immunolocalization patterns in the two diseases; positive staining was seen on granulocytes and faint cytoplasmic immunolabelling on hepatocytes in NASH while positive staining was noted on the biliary canaliculi as well as epithelium of bile ducts and cytoplasm of hepatocytes in HCV-infected liver.