Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2) plays an essential role in regulating matrix remodeling, cell growth, differentiation, angiogenesis and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. We have recently shown that TIMP-2-mediated inhibition of tumor growth is independent of matrix metalloproteinase-mediated mechanisms, and is a consequence of modulating both the tumor cells and the tumor microen...

BACKGROUND The purpose of the study was to analyse whether the levels of the tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) are higher in patients with rectal cancer as compared with healthy blood donors. PATIENTS AND METHODS.: Two hundred and seventeen patients (147 male, 70 female) with histologically confirmed non-metastatic rectal cancer (clinical stage II-III) and 45 healthy blo...

INTRODUCTION The longitudinal degradation mechanism of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the interbertebral disc remains unclear. Our objective was to elucidate catabolic and anabolic gene expression profiles and their balances in intervertebral disc degeneration using a static compression model. METHODS Forty-eight 12-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rat tails were instrumented with an Ilizarov-type...

The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their endogenous inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), may mediate the dramatic structural and functional changes in the corpus luteum (CL) over the course of its life span. In addition to regulating MMP activity, TIMPs are also involved in a variety of cellular processes, including cell proliferation and steroidogenesis. In a seri...

BACKGROUND High glucose and angiotensin-II (Ang-II) levels are the known important mediators of diabetic nephropathy. However, the effects of these mediators on matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and on tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) in proximal tubule cells have yet to be fully examined within the context of early stage diabetic nephropathy. METHODS In this study, we attemp...

OBJECTIVE Using the alginate bead three-dimensional culturing method, which is considered to be advantageous for the in vitro study of chondrocytes, we confirmed earlier reports concerning the inhibitory effect of TGF-β on IL-1β-induced cartilage destruction and serially evaluated changes in proteinases and their inhibitors in cartilage destruction. METHODS Chondrocytes were cultured on algin...

To the Editor: I read with great interest the article by Ruokolainen et al. (1) reporting on the clinical validity of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 (TIMP-1) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Comparing the preoperative serum TIMP-1 concentrations and the immunohistochemical staining of TIMP-1 in tumor sections, they showed that increased TIMP-1 in both compartments...

Background. The role of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP-2, MMP-9) in matrix degradation and metastasis has been described in various tumors. Their action is inhibited by their natural tissue inhibitor molecules TIMP-1 and -2. Methods. The study population consisted of 12 squamous cervical carcinoma patients and 27 healthy volunteer control patients. MMP-9, MMP-2-TIMP-2 complex, TIMP-1, a...

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3) has an inhibitory effect on tumor development, growth and metastasis due to its interaction with matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). We investigated the prognostic significance of TIMP-3 gene promoter methylation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). TIMP-3 methylation was analyzed by MethyLight, a quantitative and methylation-specific PCR ...

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) is a natural inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Aim of this study was to assess the immunohistochemical expression of TIMP-1 in invasive breast carcinomas, and to examine its association with classical clinico-pathological parameters, oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and Her-2/neu protein expression. Immunohistochemistry was ...