MMP12 and metabolic syndrome: To understand better the role of dyslipidemia and inflammation in CV organ damage and CV risk of T2DM patients, the present study evaluated the inter-relationships between TG, HDL, ILs and MMP-12, as well as the associations of lipids, ILs and MMP-12 with different measures of CV structure and function, both in T2DM patients and in subjects free of diabetes (nonT2DM).