The aims of this study were to identify levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in patients with different stages of coronary artery diseases. IgE, MMP-9, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglyceride (TG) were measured by fluorescence enzyme immunoassay, gelatin zymography, and autoanalyzer in normal subjects (n = 40), patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP, n = 40), patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP, n = 40), patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI, n = 40), or post-CABG-surgery of those acute myocardial infarction (P-CABG, n = 40). Compared with normal subjects, increased IgE but unchanged MMP-9, CPK, LDH were found in SAP group and UAP group, whereas IgE, MMP-9, CPK and LDH levels were all significantly increased in AMI group. IgE, MMP-9, CPK and LDH levels in P-CABG group were significantly reduced, compared with AMI group, and were similar to those in normal subjects. Cholesterol, LDL, HDL and TG were not significantly changed in all groups. We suggest that serum total IgE can be an early marker of coronary artery disease and MMP-9 is a marker of acute myocardial infarction.