en Neurosurgery Neurosurgery Review Article Review Article <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt text-align: justify text-justify: inter-ideograph"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">Cerebrovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and about one-fourth of cerebrovascular deaths are due to ruptured cerebral aneurysms (CA). Hence it is important to find a way to reduce aneurysm formation and its subsequent morbidity and mortality. Proteolytic activity capable of lysing gelatin has been shown to be increased in aneurysm tissue and expression of plasmin, membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase- 1(MT1-MMP), and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in aneurysmal wall is more than what we observe in normal cerebral arteries. MMP inhibitors such as doxycycline and statins may prohibit aneurysm formation and growth. MMPs are important in tissue remodeling associated with various physiological and pathological processes such as morphogenesis, angiogenesis, apoptosis and tissue repair. In this article we review the role of MMPs and MMP inhibitors in formation of aneurysm.<o:p /></font></font></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font> Cerebral aneurysm, MMPs, MMP inhibitors, Doxycycline, Statins. 249 254 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-604&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Azam Maradni azam.mardani@yahoo.com 20031947532846009034 20031947532846009034 No Brain and spinal injury repair research center (BASIR), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Alireza Khoshnevisan akhoshnevisan@tums.ac.ir 20031947532846009035 20031947532846009035 Yes Department of Neurosurgery, Brain and spinal injury repair research center, Tehran University of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran. Seyed Hamzeh Mousavi shm135978@yahoo.com 20031947532846009036 20031947532846009036 No Department of Surgery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Seyed Hasan Emamirazavi emami_r@health.gov.ir 20031947532846009037 20031947532846009037 No Department of Surgery, Brainand spinal injury repair research center (BASIR), Tehran University of Medical Sciences,Tehran, Iran. Abbas Noruzijavidan noroozi@tums.ac.ir 20031947532846009038 20031947532846009038 No Brain and spinal injury repair research center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.