The Correlation between Pulmonary Function Tests and the Salivary MMP-9 Activity among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patients

The spirometry test is routinely performed to assess FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC ratio among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with the increased activity of MMP-9. Saliva is less invasive to assess the MMP-9 activity. This study aimed to compare Pulmonary Function Tests to estimate the MMP-9 activity. The respondents were 30 COPD outpatients from Pulmonary Policlinic. Results showed mean ratio of FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC (SD) and that of the salivary MMP-9 activity were 1.67 (0.12) L, 2.97 (0.43) L, 56.15 (8.43) % and 1.85 (1.54) μM respectively. The correlation between FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC ratio and the salivary MMP-9 activity was insignificant (p>0.05). The pulmonary function tests were not able to estimate the salivary MMP-9 activity. The findings suggest further activities of MMP-9 from other samples for comparison of protease activity.