However, this approach has been investigatedin the context of cardiovascular diseases.117 For example, to test the protective effect of TIMP3 on myocardialinfarction, rTIMP3 has been directly injected into the myocardiumof pigs subjected to coronary ligation.118,119 In this case rTIMP-3 was administered in a hyaluronan-rich hydrogel,mimicking binding of TIMP3 to GAGs, to extend its half-life.118. Here, TIMP3 is linked to cardiovascular disorder.