MMP9 and tuberculosis: Other studies have also unveiled that levels of MMP‐1, MMP‐2, MMP‐3, MMP‐8 and MMP‐9, as well as TIMP‐1 and TIMP‐12, were significantly higher in TB patients as compared with healthy controls.34, 63, 64 Recently, expression level of TIMP‐1 in plasma has been reported as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of TB.