Aims The impact of MMP-1 (-519A/G, -1607 1G/2G), MMP-3 Lys45Glu (A/G), MMP-7 -181A/G, and MMP-12 -82A/G variants and plasma MMP levels on obesity and microvascular reactivity in Tunisians. Methods Our population included 202 nonobese and 168 obese subjects. Anthropometric, biochemical, and microvascular parameters were determined according to standard protocols. PCR-RFLP and ELISA were used t...

Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) is a member of MMP family and has a wide variety of substrate spectra. It is reported to play an important role in carcinoma invasion and metastasis. There is, however, little information on the clinical significance of MMP-7 in human esophageal carcinoma. We thus studied 48 tumor/normal pair samples of human esophagus by Northern blot analysis. The results de...

Chronic hypergastrinemia is associated with enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cell hyperplasia, which may progress to gastric carcinoid tumors. The latter consists of epithelial cells and stroma, and both compartments usually regress after normalization of hypergastrinemia. We previously showed that matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7 in gastric epithelial cells was upregulated by Helicobacter pylori an...

BACKGROUND Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are upregulated in tumors. The MMP-7 A-181G polymorphism is associated with increased expression of the MMP-7 gene. Aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the MMP-7 A-181G polymorphism and susceptibility to breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS The MMP-7 A-181G variants were studied in a cohort of 251 subjects consisting o...

Helicobacter pylori-induced gastritis is the strongest singular risk factor for gastric adenocarcinoma. Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) is a proteolytic enzyme that can modify the intestinal microbial replicative niche as well as affect tumorigenesis, and H. pylori stimulates expression of MMP-7 in gastric epithelial cells in vitro. Utilizing a transgenic murine model of H. pylori-mediated i...

BACKGROUND/AIM Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are perceived to play a key role in tumor invasion and metastasis by their capacity to degrade basement membranes and extracellular matrix proteins. The aim of this study was to investigate the expressions of MMP-2, MMP-7 and MMP-9 in tumor tissue and their relation to clinicopathologic features in patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS Specim...

BACKGROUND Two major causes of gastric ulcers are Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use. AIMS This study aimed to determine if there were different expressions of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) between H. pylori-infected and NSAID-related ulcers. METHODS The 126 gastric ulce...

Internal derangement (ID) is among the most common disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Previous research by our group highlighted a correlation between apoptosis and TMJ ID. Metalloproteinases (MMP)-7 and -9 have been shown to play an important role in extracellular matrix ECM) homeostasis and, through it, in joint disc remodelling. The immunohistochemical expression of MMP-7 and -9...

BACKGROUND Predicting the clinical course of early-stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is challenging. As matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are enzymes associated with invasion, metastasis, and poor survival in many cancers, we examined MMP-7 and MMP-25 in oral tongue SCC. METHODS We used tissue microarray (TMA) technique and immunohistochemistry to study the expression of MMP-7 an...

BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis is a major cause of cerebrovascular disease. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in matrix degradation within the atherosclerotic lesion leading to plaque destabilization and ischemic stroke. We hypothesized that MMP-7 could be involved in this process. METHODS Plasma levels of MMP-7 were measured in 182 consecutive patients with moderate (50-69%...