Expression Of MMPs And TIMPs In Colorectal Cancer And Their Relationship With Metastasis Of Cancer

Purpose: Matrix Metalloproteinases(MMPs) have been implicated in proteolysis of basement membrane (BM) and extracellular matrix (ECM). They play a pivotal role in initiation of cancer invasion and metastasis. All MMPs are inhibited by their natural inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs exercises a great influence on tumour Progressiveness. The experiment is to clarify the mechanism of colorectal cancer cell invasion and metastasis with immunohistochemical staining.Materials and Methods: Samples were obtained from resected large intestine of 50 patients with colorectal cancer, including 30 cases with lymph node metastasis and 20 cases without lymph node metastasis. Observe the presence of MMP-9, MMP-2 and TIMP-1, TIMP-2 respectively after staining.Results: Epithelial cells of normal mucosa were not stained whereas cancer cells showed positive by brown colour. Scattered stromal cells were also stained. The expression rate of MMP-2 in metastatic group was significantly higher than that in non-metastatic group (u=2.595 P=0.09). The expression rate of MMP-9 in metastatic group was greatly higher than that in non-metastatic group(u=4.457 P<0.001). Conversely, the expression rate of TIMP-1 in metastatic group was much lower than that in non-metastatic group. (u=3.595 P<0.001). The expression rate of TIMP-2 in metastatic group was also lower than that in non-metastatic group (u=4.420 P<0.001).Conclusion: We think that the expression of MMPs and TIMPs is closely related to the metastasis and invasion in colorectal cancer Patients. MMPs are positively related to the cancer metastasis and invasion whereas TIMPs are negtively related.