Objective: This study is aim at investigating the relationship between the expression and activity of MMP-2,9, TIMP-1,2 and the metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma to neck lymph node.
Methods: The expression of MMP-2,9, TIMP-1,2 in 30 oral squamous cell carcinoma, two oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines GNM and TSCCa was detected by in situ hybridization; Zomography was performed to determined the activity of MMP-2,9 in cancer tissue and conditioned medium of GNM and TSCCa; Ability of invasion of GNM and TSCCa was measured with in vitro invasion assays.
Results: Both tumor cells and stroma expressed both MMP-2,9 and TIMP-1,2; It was found that MMP-2,9, TIMP-1,2 had a higher expression in patients with neck lymph node metastasis than those without metastasis (P < 0.05), positive percentage of MMP-2,9 in GNM was higher than that in TSCCa; The MMP-2,9 in node-positive patients was more active than in node-negative ones (P < 0.05); GNM had more active MMP-2, 9 and higher invasive potential than TSCCa.
Conclusion: MMP-2,9 may play an important role in metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma; Elevation of TIMP-1,2 is likely to be the result of interaction of tumor and stroma.