This study was designed to investigate the expressions and roles of MMP-9 and HMGB1 in peripheral blood of patients with epilepsy and their relationship with the cognitive function and to explore factors affecting the prognosis of epilepsy patients. A total of 127 patients with epilepsy were collected in the study group and 120 healthy subjects receiving a physical examination at the same time were collected in the control group. The MMP-9 and HMGB1 expressions and their diagnostic value for epilepsy were compared between the two groups. The relationship between MMP-9 and HMGB1 expression levels and the clinical-pathological features and the Mini-mental State Evaluation Scale (MMSE) of patients from the study group were also analyzed. The serum levels of MMP-9 and HMGB1 in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P< 0.001), and were greatly decreased after the treatment (P<0.001). The ROC curve showed that MMP-9 and HMGB1 combined detection had a good diagnostic efficiency for epilepsy. MMP-9 was much related to the type and disease duration of epilepsy (P< 0.05). HMGB1 was significantly associated with disease duration, seizure, and previous treatment history of epilepsy (P< 0.050). According to the Pearson correlation coefficient analysis, the expressions of MMP-9 and HMGB1 were negatively correlated with MMSE scores of the study group (P< 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that the duration of disease, seizures, MMP-9, and HMGB1 were independent risk factors for the prognosis of epilepsy. The expression levels of MMP-9 and HMGB1 in peripheral blood of patients with epilepsy are significantly increased, and negatively correlated with neurological function scores. They have potential involvement in the occurrence and development of epilepsy, which makes them significant for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy in the future.
Keywords: Epilepsy.; HMGB1; MMP-9; MMS.