MMP9 and Hypertension: Interestingly, some studies have suggested an effect of ELABELA-32 on preeclampsia during pregnancy, which is characterised by hypertension, because ELABELA-32 induces the upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP9) expression due to the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR, which is strictly connected with invasion and migration associated with early-onset preeclampsia pathogenesis in human HTR8/SVneo cells [46].