Detection And Clinicopathologic Evaluation Of Gelatinase And Its Inhibitors In Breast Carcinoma Tissue And Patient's Serum

Objective To detect the protein and mRNA expression of gelatinase (MMP-2, MMP-9) and its inhibitors (TIMP-1, TIMP-2) in tissues from breast carcinoma and benign diseases, and to detect the concentrations of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in patient's preoperative serum. To investigate their roles in carcinogenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis and to evaluate their clinicopathologic significances. Methods The protein expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and the mRNA expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were examined by immunohistochemistry S-P method and in situ hybridization technique respectively in 20 cases of breast benign diseases and 160 cases of infiltrating carcinoma tissues on tissue microarray platform. Among those cases, the preoperative serum concentrations of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were detected by sandwich ELISA technique in 9 cases of breast benign diseases and 29 cases of breast infiltrating carcinoma. Results 1. The protein expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and mRNA expression of MMP-9, TIMP-1 in breast carcinoma were significantly higher than those in breast benign diseases. The patient's preoperative serum concentrations of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were significantly higher in breast carcinoma than those with breast benign diseases. 2. The protein expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and the ratios of MMP-9 to TIMP-1 and MMP-2 to TIMP-2 were all positively correlated to TNM staging and lymph node metastasis. The protein expression of TIMP-2 was negatively correlated to lymph node metastasis. 3. Both the mRNA expression of MMP-9 and the ratio of MMP-9 to TIMP-1 were positively correlated to TNM staging and lymph node metastasis. The mRNA expression of TIMP-1 was negatively correlated to histological grading of breast carcinoma. 4. Both the patients'...