MMP9 and diabetes mellitus: In another animal study, it was demonstrated that methylglyoxal-derived advanced glycated end-products (AGE-4), proteins that accumulate in the ECM during the progression of diabetes, induced a substantial increase in the expression of MMP2 and MMP9 in rat ordinary kidney cells through the AGE-4/RAGE axis activating the ERK/JNK/NFκB signaling pathway, which ultimately promotes kidney dysfunction [209].