MMP1 and infectious disease: This increased concentration of the MMPs was inversely correlated with body mass index.41 Similarly, plasma MMP‐3 was also significantly higher in men as compared to women in a number of clinical conditions including both infectious and non‐infectious diseases.42 MMPs, like MMP‐1, cause lung extracellular matrix destruction, and MMP‐10 is known as a key activator of MMP‐1.