Moreover, gelatin zymography demonstrated that total MMP2 and MMP9 activity, which are highly associated with AAA formation and rupture, were significantly increased in the NvRM group compared to both E+B and saline control groups (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively; Figure 4H–J) while E+B demonstrated a slight but not significant increase in both MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity compared to controls. Here, MMP2 is linked to triple-A syndrome.