STAT3 and dissection: It has been reported that the expression of IL‐6 is in positive correlation with that of MMP2 in several types of cardiovascular diseases such as aortic dissection,38 lipopolysaccharide‐induced cardiac fibrosis39 and pressure overload‐associated cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling.40, 41 In addition to the fact that an IL‐6 dependent increase of MMP2 and a MMP2‐dependent increase in IL‐6 are observed,42, 43, 44 STAT3 directly binds to the promoter of MMP2 to regulate cellular biological process.45 IL‐6 activates STAT3 phosphorylation and promotes the expression of MMP2.