Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in tumor metastasis and invasion, inflammatory tissue destruction and remodeling, wound healing, and angiogenesis. The 72-kDa gelatinase A is the most widely distributed of all the MMPs, and along with the 92-kDa gelatinase B, both play an important role in the turnover of basement membrane. The role of MMPs in chronic airway inflammation ...

Among matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), the subfamily of gelatinases (MMP-2, MMP-9) is of particular interest due to their ability to degrade type IV collagen and other non-fibrillar collagen domains and proteins such as fibronectin and laminin. Whilst malignant cells often over-express various MMPs, the gelatinases have been most consistently detected in malignant tissues and associated with t...

Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of a wide variety of pathophysiological conditions. To further define the mechanism of CNSL action, we investigated the effect of cashew nut shell extract (CNSE) on two matrix metalloproteinases, MMP-2/gelatinase A and MMP-9/gelatinase B, which are known to have critical roles in several disease states. We ob...

We have compared the effects of a general matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor (CT435) with those of a concentration-dependent specific gelatinase inhibitor (CT543; Ki < 20 nM) on bone resorption in vitro. The test systems consisted of measuring: (i) the release of 45Ca2+ from prelabelled mouse calvarial explants; (ii) the release of 45Ca2+ from prelabelled osteoid-free calvarial explants c...

PURPOSE Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) are the leading causes of vision loss in the elderly Asian population. Previous studies have confirmed that abnormal extracellular matrix (ECM) metabolism plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AMD and PCV. However, the dynamic metabolism of the ECM is closely regulated by matrix metalloproteinase...

Type IV collagenases matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) and MMP9 and their related proteins, MT1-MMP, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1), TIMP2, and TIMP3, are expressed during kidney morphogenesis and nephrogenesis, but the renal ontogeny of these proteins is only partially known, and their persistence in the adult remains controversial. Their expression was analyzed from early me...

BACKGROUND Thalidomide and its analogs are effective agents in the treatment of multiple myeloma. Since gelatinases (matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9) play a crucial role in tumor progression, we explored the effect of thalidomide on gelatinase production by malignant B lymphoid cell lines. DESIGN AND METHODS We investigated the effect of therapeutic doses of thalidomide on integrin-mediate...

BACKGROUND MYC deregulation is a common event in gastric carcinogenesis, usually as a consequence of gene amplification, chromosomal translocations, or posttranslational mechanisms. FBXW7 is a p53-controlled tumor-suppressor that plays a role in the regulation of cell cycle exit and reentry via MYC degradation. METHODS We evaluated MYC, FBXW7, and TP53 copy number, mRNA levels, and protein ex...

OBJECT Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly MMP-9/gelatinase B, promote early inflammation and barrier disruption after spinal cord injury (SCI). Early blockade of MMPs after injury provides neuroprotection and improves motor outcome. There is recent evidence, however, that MMP-9 and MMP-2/gelatinase A participate in later wound healing in the injured cord. The authors therefore exami...

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 (gelatinases) participate in extracellular protein remodeling. Moreover, they are involved in the development of hepatic fibrosis. The goal of this study was to evaluate liver gelatinase activities after erythropoietin (Epo) treatment (1U/dose, sc) in experimentally damaged livers of rats treated with D-galactosamine (Gal, 800 mg/kg/dose, ip). Sixty rats ...