Expression Of Martrix Metalloproteinase-10 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to analyze matrix metalloproteinase-10 (MMP-10) expression in NSCLC, evaluate the correlations between MMP-10 expression and clinicopathologic parameters.Methods: Real-time PCR was used to assess MMP-10 mRNA level while immunohistochemistry was used to assess MMP-10 protein expression in 32 matched lung tumor tissues and corresponding adjacent normal lung tissues. The correlations between MMP-10 mRNA level, protein expression and clinical parameters, such as gender, age, stage, tumor size, lymph node metastasis or histological type was analyzed.Results: There has difference between MMP-10 mRNA level and MMP-10 protein expression in NSCLC. MMP-10 mRNA level is lower in tumor tissue than that in corresponding normal lung tissue by Real-time PCR (P=0.042). MMP-10 protein is overexpression in tumor tissue as compared to the corresponding normal lung tissue by immunohistochemistry (P=0.006). MMP-10 mRNA level is positive correlated with MMP-10 protein expression in tumor tissue (r=0.467, P=0.016) but has not correlation in corresponding normal lung tissue (r=-0.003, P=0.99). Conclusions: MMP-10 mRNA levels were significantly decreased, however, MMP-10 protein expression are significantly higher, in tumor tissues than in its adjacent normal tissues in NSCLC. This contradictive pattern of MMP-10 mRNA levels and protein expression in tumor tissues of NSCLC needs further investigation.