A matrix metalloproteinase-responsive hydrogel system controls angiogenic peptide release for repair of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Vascular endothelial growth factor and its mimic peptide KLTWQELYQLKYKGI(QK)are widely used as the most potent angiogenic factors for the treatment of multiple ischemic diseases.However,conventional topical drug delivery often results in a burst release of the drug,leading to transient retention(inefficacy)and undesirable diffusion(toxicity)in vivo.Therefore,a drug delivery system that responds to changes in the microenvironment of tissue regeneration and controls vascular endothelial growth factor release is crucial to improve the treatment of ischemic stroke.Matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2)is gradually upregulated after cerebral ischemia.Herein,vascular endothelial growth factor mimic peptide QK was self-assembled with MMP-2-cleaved peptide PLGLAG(TIMP)and customizable peptide amphiphilic(PA)molecules to construct nanofiber hydrogel PA-TIMP-QK.PA-TIMP-QK was found to control the delivery of QK by MMP-2 upregulation after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and had a similar biological activity with vascular endothelial growth factor in vitro.The results indicated that PA-TIMP-QK promoted neuronal survival,restored local blood circulation,reduced blood-brain barrier permeability,and restored motor function.These findings suggest that the self-assembling nanofiber hydrogel PA-TIMP-QK may provide an intelligent drug delivery system that responds to the microenvironment and promotes regeneration and repair after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Long noncoding RNAs HAND2-AS1 ultrasound microbubbles suppress hepatocellular carcinoma progression by regulating the miR-873-5p/tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2 axis

BACKGROUND Increasing data indicated that long noncoding RNAs(lncRNAs)were directly or indirectly involved in the occurrence and development of tumors,including hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Recent studies had found that the expression of lncRNA HAND2-AS1 was downregulated in HCC tissues,but its role in HCC progression is unclear.Ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction mediated gene transfection is a new method to overexpress genes.AIM To study the role of ultrasound microbubbles(UTMBs)mediated HAND2-AS1 in the progression of HCC,in order to provide a new reference for the treatment of HCC.METHODS In vitro,we transfected HAND2-AS1 siRNA into HepG2 cells by UTMBs,and detected cell proliferation,apoptosis,invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)by cell counting kit-8 assay,flow cytometry,Transwell invasion assay and Western blotting,respectively.In addition,we transfected miR-837-5p mimic into UTMBs treated cells and observed the changes of cell behavior.Next,the UTMBs treated HepG2 cells were transfected together with miR-837-5p mimic and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2(TIMP2)overexpression vector,and we detected cell proliferation,apoptosis,invasion and EMT.In vivo,we established a mouse model of subcutaneous transplantation of HepG2 cells and observed the effect of HAND2-AS1 silencing on tumor formation ability.RESULTS We found that UTMBs carrying HAND2-AS1 restricted cell proliferation,invasion,and EMT,encouraged apoptosis,and HAND2-AS1 silencing eliminated the effect of UTMBs.Additionally,miR-873-5p targets the gene HAND2-AS1,which also targets the 3’UTR of TIMP2.And miR-873-5p mimic counteracted the impact of HAND2-AS1.Further,miR-873-5p mimic solely or in combination with pcDNA-TIMP2 had been transformed into HepG2 cells exposed to UTMBs.We discovered that TIMP2 reversed the effect of miR-873-5p mimic caused by the blocked signalling cascade for matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)2/MMP9.In vivo results showed that HAND2-AS1 silencing significantly inhibited tumor formation in mice.CONCLUSION LncRNA HAND2-AS1 promotes TIMP2 expression by targeting miR-873-5p to inhibit HepG2 cell growth and delay HCC progression.

Microstructure evolution of Ti_(48)Zr_(27)Cu_(6)Nb_(5)Be_(14)amorphous alloy after semi-solid isothermal treatment

The as-cast amorphous Ti_(48)Zr_(27)Cu_(6)Nb_(5)Be_(14)composites,comprising in situ formedβ-Ti ductile crystalline precipitates,were prepared by water cooled copper mold suction casting.Then,the semi-solid composites were obtained after the as-cast composites were treated by semi-solid isothermal treatment.The microstructure evolution and kinetics of the composites were examined.Results show that the microstructures of both the as-cast and semi-solid composites comprise ofβ-Ti crystal phases and amorphous matrix phases.Before and after treatment,the crystals evolve from fine granular or fine dendritic crystals to coarse crystals.As the treatment temperature increasing or the time prolonging,the average crystal size gradually increases and the surface morphology of the crystals gradually becomes regular.By studying the microstructural evolution and dynamics during the isothermal treatment process,it is found that the final morphology ofβ-Ti crystals is influenced by the isothermal treatment temperature and time(t),and theβ-Ti evolution rate increases with an increase in treatment temperature.In addition,a linear relationship was observed between the size of cubicβ-Ti crystals(D^(3))and t;the growth kinetics factor K is 3.8μm^(3)·s^(-1).As the K value closes to 4μm^(3)·s^(-1),it is inferred the morphology evolution ofβ-Ti crystals is a coarsening behavior controlled by the diffusion of solute elements.

Levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 in gastric cancer

AIM:To evaluate the levels of preoperative serum matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in gastric cancer.METHODS:One hundred gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy were enrolled in this study.The serum concentrations of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in these patients and in fifty healthy controls were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.RESULTS:Higher serum MMP-1 and TIMP-1 levels were observed in patients than in controls (P < 0.001).Serum MMP-1 and TIMP-1 levels were positively associated with morphological appearance,tumor size,depth of wall invasion,lymph node metastasis,liver metastasis,perineural invasion,and pathological stage.They were not significantly associated with age,gender,tumor location,or histological type.CONCLUSION:Increased MMP-1 and TIMP-1 were associated with gastric cancer.Although these markers are not good markers for diagnosis,these markers show in advanced gastric cancer.

Clinical significance of matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

AIM: To evaluate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and its clinical significance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: The expression of MMP-9 in 208 cases of ESCC was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and its clinical significance in ESCC especially the relationship with the clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. RESULTS: The percentage of positive cases for MMP-9 detected by IHC was 49.0%. MMP-9 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of cancer cells especially in the invasive front. Only weak expression was detected in the stromal cells and no expression in non-cancerous mucosa. The expression of MMP-9 was positively correlated with poorer differentiation (P= 0.001<0.01), existence of vessel permeation (P= 0.027<0.05) and lymph node metastasis (P=0.027<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of MMP-9 correlates with the cancer cell differentiation, vessel permeation and lymph node metastasis. It may be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of ESCC.

Expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in ulcerative colitis

AIM: To examine the expression of metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in the colonic mucosa of patients with ulcer- ative colitis (UC). METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain re- action (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to study the expression of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 at both mRNA and protein levels in patients with UC and con- trols. The relationship between MMP-1 mRNA, TIMP-1 mRNA, MMP-1 mRNA/TIMP-1 mRNA ratio and the sever- ity of clinical symptoms of the patients with UC were also analyzed. RESULTS: The expression of MMP-1 mRNA and TIMP-1 mRNA in the ulcerated and inflamed colonic mucosa was signifi cantly higher than that in the non-inflamed colonic mucosa (P < 0.001), but there was no statistically signif i- cant difference in the non-inflamed colonic mucosa of UC patients and normal controls (P > 0.05). The mRNA ex- pression of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in ulcerated colonic mu- cosa of UC patients was increased by 80-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively when compared with the normal controls. In the inflamed colonic mucosa, the increase was 30-fold and 1.6-fold, respectively. Immunohistochemical analy- sis showed that among the ulcerated, inflamed, and non-inflamed colonic mucosae of UC patients and the normal controls, the positive rate of MMP-1 expression was 87%, 87%, 40% and 35% respectively, and the positive rate of TIMP-1 expression was 89%, 89%, 80% and 75%, respectively. Furthermore, the expression of MMP-1 mRNA, TIMP-1 mRNA and the MMP-1 mRNA/ TIMP-1 mRNA ratio were correlated with the severity of clinical symptoms (P <0.05).CONCLUSION: Excessive expression of MMP-1 in the diseased colonic mucosa causes excessive hydrolysis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and ulceration in UC pa-tients. MMP-1 mRNA, TIMP-1 mRNA and MMP-1 mRNA/ TIMP-1 mRNA ratio can be used as biomarkers to judge the severity of clinical symptoms in patients with UC. Exogenous TIMP-1 or MMP-1 inhibitor therapy is a novel treatment for patients with UC.

Suppression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 via RNA interference inhibits pancreatic carcinoma cell invasiveness and adhesion

AIM:To investigate the inhibitory effects of RNA interference (RNAi) on expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) gene and invasiveness and adhesion of human pancreatic cancer cell line,BxPC-3.METHODS:RNAi was performed using the vector (pGPU6)-based small interference RNA (siRNA) plasmid gene silence system to specifically knock down MMP-2 expression in pancreatic cancer cell line,BxPC-3. Four groups of different specific target sequence in coding region of MMP-2 and one non-specific sequence were chosen to construct four experimental siRNA plasmids of pGPU6-1,pGPU6-2,pGPU6-3 and pGPU6-4,and one negative control siRNA plasmid of pGPU6 (-). MMP-2 expression was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were examined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and flow cytometry,respectively. The abilities of adhesion and invasion were detected by cell adhesion assay and cell invasion assay using Transwell chambers.RESULTS:The expression of MMP-2 was inhibited and the inhibitory effects of different sequence varied. pGPU6-1 group had the most efficient inhibitory effect,followed by pGPU6-2 and pGPU6-3 groups.Invasiveness and adhesion were more significantly reduced in pGPU6-1,pGPU6-2 and pGPU6-3 groups as compared with pGPU6 (-) and blank control groups. However,no difference concerning cell proliferation and apoptosis was observed after transfection between experiment groups and control groups.CONCLUSION:RNAi against MMP-2 successfully inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of MMP-2 in the pancreatic cancer cell line,BxPC-3,leading to a potent suppression of tumor cell adhesion and invasion without affecting cell proliferation and apoptosis. These findings suggest that the RNAi approach towards MMP-2 may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the clinical management of pancreatic tumor.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9-1562C>T polymorphism may increase the risk of lymphatic metastasis of colorectal cancer

AIM. To explore the role of the matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9） polymorphism in colorectal cancer （CRC） in a northeast Chinese population.METHODS： Genotyping of MNP-9-1562C〉T and 279R〉Q polymorphisms was carried out on blood samples from 137 colorectal cancer patients and 199 controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-RFLP）. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted odds ratios （OR） and 95% confidence intervals （95% CI）.RESULTS： The distribution of IVllVlP-9 -2562C〉T and 279 R〉Q genotype was not significantly associated with the risk of CRC. However, the risk of Ilymph node metastasis of CRC was increased in patients with the -1562T allele （OR = 2.601; 95% CI = 1.160-5.835; P = 0.022）. The frequency of MMP-9 279RR ＋ RQ genotype was higher than the QQ genotype among CRC patients younger than sixty years old （OR = 0.102, 95% CI = 0.013-0.812; P = 0.012）.CONCLUSION： Our results indicated that the MMP-9- 1562C〉T polymorphism affects lymph node metastasis of CRC. In addition, the MMP-9 279R allele may lead to a younger age of onset of colorectal cancer.

Picroside Ⅱ down-regulates matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Studies have shown that Picroside Ⅱ attenuates inflammatory reactions following brain ischemia through the inhibition of the TLR-4-NF-KB signal transduction pathway, and ameliorates cerebral edema through the reduction of aquaporin-4 expression. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）, located downstream of the TLR-4-NF-KB signal transduction pathway, can degrade the neurovascular matrix, damage the blood-brain barrier to induce cerebral edema, and directly result in neuronal apoptosis and brain injury, Therefore, the present study further observed MMP-9 expression in the brain tissues of rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury following Picroside Ⅱ treatment. Results demonstrated that Picroside Ⅱ significantly reduced MMP-9 expression in ischemic brain tissues, as well as neuronal apoptosis and brain infarct volume, suggesting Picroside Ⅱ exhibits neuroprotection by down-regulating MMP-9 expression and inhibiting cell apoptosis.

Expression and significance of angiostatin, vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in brain tissue of diabetic rats with ischemia reperfusion

Objective: To discuss the expression and significance of angiostatin, vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in the brain tissue of diabetic rats with ischemia reperfusion. Methods: A total of 60 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the normal group, sham group, diabetic cerebral infarction group and single cerebral infarction group according to the random number table, with 15 rats in each group. The high sucrose diet and intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin were performed for the modeling of diabetic rats, while the thread-occlusion method was employed to build the model of cerebral ischemia reperfusion. The immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of angiostatin, vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) in the brain tissue. Results: The expression of angiostatin after the reperfusion in the brain tissue of rats in the single cerebral infarction group and diabetic cerebral infarction group was increased 6 h after the reperfusion, reached to the peak on 1 d and then decreased gradually. The expression of angiostatin in the diabetic cerebral infarction group 6 h, 1 d, 3 d and 7 d after the reperfusion was significantly higher than that in the single cerebral infarction group(P<0.05). VEGF began to be increased 1 h after the reperfusion in the single cerebral infarction group and diabetic cerebral infarction group, reached to the peak at 6 h and then decreased gradually. The expression of VEGF in the diabetic cerebral infarction group at each time point after the reperfusion was significantly lower than that in the single cerebral infarction group(P<0.05). MMP-9 began to be be increased 1 h after the reperfusion in the single cerebral infarction group and diabetic cerebral infarction group, reached to the peak on 1 d and then decreased gradually. The expression of MMP-9 in the diabetic cerebral infarction group at each time point after the reperfusion was significantly higher than that in the single cerebral infarction group(P<0.05). Conclusions: The high glucose environment in which the diabetic cerebral infarction is occurred is to induce the formation of MMP-9 at first and then activate and increase the expression of angiostatin. Afterwards, the expression of VEGF is inhibited, resulting in the poor angiogenesis after cerebral infarction, which thus makes the injury of brain tissue after cerebral infarction even worse than the non-diabetes mellitus.

Relationship between matrix metalloproteinase-2 mRNA expression and clinicopathological and urokinase-type plasminogen activator system parameters and prognosis in human gastric cancer

AIM: To investigate the relationship between matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) mRNA expression and clinicopathologic and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) system parameter and prognosis in human gastric cancer. METHODS: Expression of MMP-2 mRNA, uPA, and uPA-R mRNA in tumor tissues and ≥5 cm adjacent normal tissues from 67 cases of gastric cancer was studied using RT-PCR and Northern blot respectively.Survival analyses were done using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The expression rates of MMP-2 mRNA,uPA and uPA-R mRNA in tumor tissues (31%,41%,and 51%, respectively) were significantly higher than those in ≥5 cm adjacent tissues (19%, 11%, and 9%; X2=4.59,43.58, and 53.24 respectively, P<0.05,0.0001,and 0.0001, respectively). Expression of MMP-2 mRNA was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis (metastasis: 61.9%, no metastasis: 39.1%, X2= 7.61, P<0.05),Lauren's classification of diffuse/mixed types:54.2%,intestinal type: 26.3%,X2 = 4.25, P<0.05, expression of uPA and uPA-R mRNA (uPA+: 55.1%, uPA-: 22.2% and uPA-R+: 54.9%, uPA-R-: 18.8%, X2=5.72 and 6.40 respectively, P<0.05).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of MMP-2 mRNA expression did not show significant difference in all 67 cases, but revealed an association of the expression of MMP-2 mRNA, uPA, and uPA-R mRNA with worse prognosis (P= 0.0083, 0.0160, and 0.0094, respectively). CONCLUSION: MMP-2 may play an important role in the development of invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer.

Correlation of RECK with Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 in Regulation of Trophoblast Invasion of Early Pregnancy

To study the role of the reversion-inducing-cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs （RECK） gene and matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2） in the regulation of trophoblast invasion of early pregnancy. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot and gelatin zymography were used to detect the RECK protein expression localization, expression level and MMP-2 activation level in the placental tissues harvested from 52 normal pregnant women （27 in the early pregnancy, 25 in the term pregnancy）. Immunohistochemistry showed that RECK expression was found both in villous tissues of early pregnancy group and term pregnancy group and was mainly observed in cell membrane and cytoplasm of cytotrophoblasts and syneytiotrophoblasts. RECK expression increased with gestational time. RECK expression of early pregnancy group was significantly lower than that of term pregnancy group （P〈0.05）. RECK expression was significantly lower in cellular column （CC） with invasion ability. Western blot showed that the RECK protein expression in early pregnancy group was significantly lower than that in term pregnancy （P〈0.05）. The optical density values of RECK protein expression in early pregnancy group and term pregnancy group were 1.35±0.14 and 2.68±0.26, respectively, while MMP-2 activation ratio was contrary to RECK protein expression and decreased with the gestation time （P〈0.01）. The MMP-2 activation ratios of early pregnancy group and term pregnancy group were 0.46±0.05 and 0.10±0.02, respectively. The expression of the tumor inhibitory gene RECK was positively related with the invasion ability of trophoblasts, while the invasion gene MMP-2 was negatively related with the ability. The interaction between RECK and MMP-2 may play an important role in the regulation of the trophoblast invasion in early pregnancy.

High matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression induces angiogenesis and basement membrane degradation in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats after cerebral infarction

Basement membrane degradation and blood-brain barrier damage appear after cerebral infarc- tion, severely impacting neuronal and brain functioning; however, the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we induced cerebral infarction in stroke- prone spontaneously hypertensive rats by intragastric administration of high-sodium water （1.3% NaC1） for 7 consecutive weeks. Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence assays demonstrated that, compared with the non-infarcted contralateral hemisphere, stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats on normal sodium intake and Wistar-Kyoto rats, matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression, the number of blood vessels with discontinuous collagen IV expression and microvessel density were significantly higher, and the number of continuous collagen IV-positive blood vessels was lower in the infarct border zones of stroke-prone sponta- neously hypertensive rats given high-sodium water. Linear correlation analysis showed matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression was positively correlated with the number of discontinuously collagen IV-labeled blood vessels and microvessel density in cerebral infarcts of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. These results suggest that matrix metalloproteinase-9 upregula- tion is associated with increased regional angiogenesis and degradation of collagen IV, the major component of the basal lamina, in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats with high-sodi- um water-induced focal cerebral infarction.

Huoxue Rongluo Tablet reduces matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in infarcted brain tissue

Huoxue Rongluo Tablet was made of tall gastrodis tuber, dahurian angelica root, honeysuckle stem, grassleaf sweetflag rhizome, common flowering quince fruit, figwort root, red peony root and peach seed at a ratio of 3：2：6：2：3：3：3：3. Huoxue Rongluo Tablet is a well-established and common pre- scription for the treatment of cerebral infarction. In this study, a rat model of cerebral ischemia was established and the animals were intragastrically administered Huoxue Rongluo Tablet. This treat- ment reduced infarct volume, decreased matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression, and improved neurological function. Moreover, the effects of Huoxue Rongluo Tablet were better than those of buflomedil pyridoxal phosphate. These results indicate that Huoxue Rongluo Tablet is effective in treating cerebral infarction by regulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 protein expression.

Increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 associated with gastric ulcer recurrence

AIM: To compare matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 in gastric ulcer (GU) and chronic superficial gastritis (CSG). METHODS: This study enrolled 63 patients with GU and 25 patients with CSG. During upper gastroduodenal endoscopy, we took samples of gastric mucosa from the antrum and ulcer site from patients with GU, and samples of antral mucosa from patients with CSG. Mucosal biopsy tissues were cultured for 24 h, and the culture supernatant was measured for levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1. After receiving eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori ) and 8 wk proton-pump inhibitor therapy for GU, follow-up endoscopy examination was performed after 6 mo and whenever severe symptoms occurred. RESULTS: Levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 at the ulcer site or in the antrum were significantly higher in GU than CSG patients. MMP-9 levels at the ulcer site were significantly higher than in the antrum in GU patients, and had a significantly positive correlation with TIMP-1. MMP-9 levels were significantly higher in H. pylori -positive than H. pylori -negative GU and CSG patients. Levels of MMP-9 or TIMP-1 at the ulcer site were associated with the histological severity of activity and inflammation. About 57 GU patients were followed up, and seven had GU recurrence. H. pyloriinfection and MMP-9 levels were risk factors for the recurrence of GU adjusted for age and sex by multiple logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: MMP-9 may perform an important function in gastric ulcer formation and recurrence.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 expression in early focal cerebral infarction following urokinase thrombolysis in rats

Activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 increases following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, and is associated with cerebral microvascular permeability, blood-brain barrier destruction, inflammatory cell infiltration and brain edema. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 also likely participates in thrombolysis. A rat model of middle cerebral artery infarction was established by injecting autologous blood clots into the internal carotid artery. At 3 hours following model induction, urokinase was injected into the caudal vein. Decreased neurological severity score, reduced infarct volume, and increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 were observed in the cerebral cortex 24 hours after urokinase thrombolysis. These results suggest that urokinase can suppress damage in the acute-early stage of cerebral infarction.

Expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and tumor necrosis factor-α in ulcerative colitis

AIM： To examine the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 （MMP-1） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-~~） in the colon mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis （UC）.METHODS： Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the expression of MMP-1 and TNF-α at both mRNA and protein levels in the colon mucosa of patients with UC. Correlation between MMP-1 and TNF-α and their correlation with the severity of the disease were also analyzed statistically.RESULTS： The expression of MMP-1 and TNF-α in the ulcerated and inflamed colon mucosa of patients with UC was significantly higher than that in the non-inflamed mucosa of normal controls at both mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, the expression of MMP-1 and TNF-α in the ulcerated area was significantly higher than that in the inflamed area of patients with UC （0.9797 ± 0.1433 vs 0.6746 ± 0.0373, 0.8669 ± 0.0746 vs 0.5227 ± 0.0435, P 〈 0.05）. There was no statistically significant difference in the non-inflamed area of normal controls. There was a significant correlation between MMP-1 and TNF-c~ expression （0.9797 ± 0.1433 vs 0.8669 ± 0.0746, P 〈 0.05）, the correlating factor was 0.877. MMP-1 and TNF-α showed a significant correlation with the severity of the disease （0.0915 ：e 0.0044 vs 0.0749 vs 0.0032, 0.0932 ± 0.0019 vs 0.0724 ± 0.0043, P 〈 0.05）, their correlating factors were 0.942 and 0.890, respectively.CONCLUSION： Excessively expressed MMP-1 directly damages the colon mucosa by degrading extracellular matrix （ECM） in patients with UC. While damaging colon mucosa, excessively expressed TNF-α stimulates MMPs secreting cells to produce more MMP-1 and aggravates the mucosa damage. MMP-1 promotes secretion of TNF-α in a positive feedback manner to cause further injury in the colon mucosa. MMP-1 and TNF-α correlate well with the severity of the disease, and therefore, can be used clinically as biological markers to judge the severity of UC.

EXPRESSION OF MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE-7 AND FAS LIGAND: THEIR APOPTOSIS-INDUCING EFFECT ON GASTRIC CANCER CELLS

Objective: To investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) and Fas ligand (FasL) in gastric cancer and explore their role in progression of gastric cancer. Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin and embedded tissues of primary gastric cancer and adjacent non-tumor mucosa from 113 cases were evaluated for MMP-7, FasL and Capase-3 expression by streptavidin-peroxidase (S-P) immunohistochemistry. The expression of the first two proteins in cancer cells of primary foci was compared with clinicopathological parameters of tumors. We also observed the correlation of MMP-7 and FasL expression with Caspase-3 expression in cancer cells of primary foci. Results: MMP-7 positive immunostaining was less frequently detected in adjacent epithelial cells than in cancer cells of primary foci of gastric cancer (P<0.05, 29.2% vs 69.0%), and so was FasL (P<0.05, 34.5% vs 54.0%). MMP-7 expression was associated with tumor size, Borrmann抯 classification, invasive depth, metastasis and TNM staging (P<0.05), but not with growth pattern, Lauren抯 classification, or histological classification (P>0.05). FasL expression was correlated with tumor size, invasive depth, metastasis, Lauren抯 classification, histological classification (P<0.05), while not with Borrmann抯 classification, TNM staging or growth pattern (P>0.05). Cancer cells of primary foci expressed less Caspase-3 than their adjacent epithelial cells (P<0.05, 32.7% vs 50.4%). There was an obvious correlation between FasL, MMP-7 and Caspase-3 expression in cancer cells of primary foci (P<0.05). Co-expression of MMP-7 and FasL paralleled with Caspase-3 expression in cancer cells of primary foci (P<0.05). Conclusion: MMP-7 and FasL expression was up-regulated in gastric carcinogenesis and was principally involved in progression of gastric cancer. FasL expression could reflect the differentiation of gastric cancer cells and underlie the molecular mechanisms of different pathways of gastric tumorigenesis. Co-expression of MMP-7 and FasL could have apoptosis-inducing effect on gastric cancer cells.

Distribution and relative activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 in human coronal dentin

The presence of matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2） in dentin has been reported, but its distribution and activity level in mature human coronal dentin are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the MMP-2 distribution and relative activity in demineralized dentin. Crowns of twenty eight human molars were sectioned into inner （ID）, middle （MD）, and outer dentin （OD） regions and demineralized. MMP-2 was extracted with 0.33 mol·L-1 EDTA/2 mol·L-1 guanidine-HCl, pH 7.4, and MMP-2 concentration was estimated with enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assay （ELISA）. Further characterization was accomplished by Western blotting analysis and gelatin zymography. The mean concentrations of MMP-2 per mg dentin protein in the dentin regions were significantly different （P=0.043）： 0.9 ng （ID）, 0.4 ng （MD）, and 2.2 ng （OD）, respectively. The pattern of MMP-2 concentration was OD〉ID〉MD. Western blotting analysis detected -66 and -72 kDa immunopositive proteins corresponding to pro- and mature MMP-2, respectively, in the ID and MD, and a -66 kDa protein in the OD. Gelatinolytic activity consistent with MMP-2 was detected in all regions. Interestingly, the pattern of levels of Western blot immunodetection and gelatinolytic activity was MD〉ID〉OD. The eoneentration of MMP-2 in human coronal dentin was highest in the region of dentin that contains the dentinoenamel junction and least in the middle region of dentin. However, levels of Western blot immunodetection and gelatinolytic activity did not correlate with the estimated regional concentrations of MMP-2, potentially indicating region specific protein interactions.