Expressions of MMP-2/MMP-9 and TIMP-1/TIMP-2 in human colorectal cancer

Objective To study the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2),matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and their inhibitors,tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase TIMP-1 and TIMP-2,in human colorectal cancer and their clinical significance. Methods The expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP1 and TIMP-2 in 30 primary colorectal tumors and adjacent noncancerous tissues were detected by immunohistochemical S-P method. Results The positive rates of MMP-2,MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in colorectal cancer were significantly higher than those in adjacent noncancerous tissues (P0.05),and were closely associated with tumor differentiation,Dukes stages,progression of invasion depth and lymph node metastasis (P0.05). The positive rate of TIMP-2 was much lower in colorectal tissues than in adjacent noncancerous tissues (P0.05),and was negatively correlated with Dukes stages,progression of invasion depth and lymph node metastasis (P0.05),but not to tumor differentiation (P0.05). A close correlation was present between MMP-9 and TIMP-1 expression (r=0.4924,P0.05). Conclusion Overexpressions of MMP-2,MMP-9 and TIMP-1 are obviously correlated with both invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer,combined detection of which may be helpful in determining the biological behavior and prognosis of colorectal cancer.