MMP9 and heart failure: It is noteworthy that, in the pooled sample of CHD patients, there was a positive association between the level of Ang-2 and MMP-9 and the galectin-3 level (see Section 3.4, Figure 2B), which is secreted in the heart by macrophages and ischemic cardiomyocytes, and is a marker of myocardial damage, fibrosis and heart failure [22,38].