MMP9 and metabolic syndrome: This study presented four novel findings: (1) subjects with early MetS presented higher levels of adhesion molecules and MMP-9 and similar levels of CD34+/VEGFR2+ and CD34+/CD133+/VEGFR2+ cells at baseline compared with healthy controls; (2) subjects with early MetS presented a lower number of CD34+/VEGFR2+ and CD34+/CD133+/VEGFR2+ cells after exercise; (3) healthy controls presented increased MMP-2 activity, while subjects with early MetS presented higher MMP-9 activity after exercise; and (4) no differences were observed in angiogenic factors between groups before and after exercise.