1-furan-2-yl-3-pyridin-2-yl-propenone inhibits the invasion and migration of HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells through the inhibition of proMMP-2 activation and down regulation of MMP-9 and MT1-MMP.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in solid tumor invasion and migration. In this study, we showed that 1-furan-2-yl-3-pyridin-2-yl-propenone (FPP-3) dose-dependently inhibited HT1080 cell invasion and migration, and decreased MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities. Furthermore, FPP-3 reduced MMP-2 expression at protein and mRNA levels, and suppressed 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-enhanced expression of MT1-MMP without changing tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2 level. FPP-3 also suppressed TPA-induced increases in MMP-9 protein and mRNA levels, but did not alter TIMP-1 level. Our results suggest that FFP-3 may be a valuable anti-invasive drug candidate for cancer therapy by suppressing MMP-2, MMP-9, and MT1-MMP.