Cancer Res Treat. 2001 Jun;33(3):199-206. doi: 10.4143/crt.2001.33.3.199.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been associated with tumor cell invasion and metastasis by mediating the degradation of extracellular matrix components. A tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) has been reported to inhibit tumor invasion by means of an inactivation of matrix metalloproteinases. An imbalance between MMPs and the associated TIMPs may play a significant role in the invasive phenotype of malignant tumors. Therefore, MMPs and their inhibitors constitute promising agents for developing anticancer therapies. In the present study, the authors investigated the correlation between the expressions of TIMP-1 and MMPs, and the clinical outcome.
Immunohistochemical staining of MMP-2, -3 and -9, and TIMP-1 was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 38 early gastric carcinomas and 61 advanced gastric carcinomas.
MMP-2 and -9 were found mainly in tumors of the intestinal type and less frequently in those of diffuse type. There were positive correlations between the presence of MMP-2 and -9 and lymph node status. There were inverse correlations between the TIMP-1 expression and tumor invasiveness.
These results suggests that clinical outcomes such as the depth of invasion or metastasis are closely related to the expression of TIMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9.
基质金属蛋白酶（MMPs）通过介导细胞外基质成分的降解与肿瘤细胞的侵袭和转移有关。有报道称，金属蛋白酶组织抑制剂（TIMPs）通过抑制基质金属蛋白酶的活性来抑制肿瘤的侵袭。MMPs 及其相关 TIMPs 之间的失衡可能在恶性肿瘤的侵袭表型中发挥重要作用。因此，MMPs 及其抑制剂是开发抗癌治疗方法的有前途的药物。在本研究中，作者研究了 TIMP-1 和 MMPs 的表达与临床结果之间的相关性。
对 38 例早期胃癌和 61 例进展期胃癌的石蜡包埋组织切片进行 MMP-2、-3 和 -9 以及 TIMP-1 的免疫组织化学染色。
MMP-2 和 -9 主要存在于肠型肿瘤中，而弥漫型肿瘤中较少见。MMP-2 和 -9 的存在与淋巴结状态之间存在正相关。TIMP-1 的表达与肿瘤侵袭性呈负相关。
这些结果表明，浸润深度或转移等临床结果与 TIMP-1、MMP-2 和 MMP-9 的表达密切相关。
