Biomedicines

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Dear Colleagues,

MMPs have been implicated in numerous physiological and pathological situations, such as neoplasia, osteogenesis, myocardial infarction, osteoarthritis, or inflammation. Wide-ranging evidence has also implicated MMP dysregulation in tumor invasion, neoangiogenesis, and metastasis. EMMPRIN, a membrane glycoprotein greatly enriched on the surface of tumor cells, has been shown to stimulate the synthesis of MMPs in stromal cells and may account for the increased MMP expression in most cancer tissues. Apart from direct cell contact, cell interactions can also be influenced by soluble factors such as cytokines, growth factors, or extracellular vesicles. Such nodes of communication between cells might lead to dysregulations of ECM remodeling in physiological and pathological processes. In this Special Issue, original and review articles on basic science and preclinical and clinical findings are warmly welcome to contribute to our understanding of MMPs and their regulations.

Dr. Eric Huet
Guest Editor

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Keywords

matrix metalloproteinases
EMMPRIN
tissue remodeling
cell interactions
physiopathology

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2753 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Correlation of TIMP1-MMP2/MMP9 Gene Expression Axis Changes with Treatment Efficacy and Survival of NSCLC Patients

by Jacek Pietrzak, Agnieszka Wosiak, Dagmara Szmajda-Krygier, Rafał Świechowski, Mariusz Łochowski, Milena Pązik and Ewa Balcerczak

Biomedicines 2023, 11(7), 1777; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11071777 - 21 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1426

Abstract

In the course of lung cancer, normal cells are transformed into cancerous ones, and changes occur in the microenvironment, including the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is not only a scaffold for cells, but also a reservoir of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are among the elements that enable ECM remodeling. The publication focuses on the problem of changes in the gene expression of MMP2, MMP9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP1) in the blood of NSCLC patients during therapy (one year after surgical resection of the tumor). The paper also analyzes differences in the expression of the studied genes in the tumor tissue, as well as data collected in publicly available databases. The results of blood tests showed no differences in the expression of the tested genes during therapy; however, changes were observed in cancerous tissue, which was characterized by higher expression of MMP2 and MMP9, compared to non-cancerous tissue, and unchanged expression of TIMP1. Nevertheless, higher expression of each of the studied genes was associated with shorter patient survival. Interestingly, it was not only the increased expression of metalloproteinase genes, but also the increased expression of the metalloproteinase inhibitor (TIMP1) that was unfavorable for patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MMPs and EMMPRIN/CD147 in Physiological and Pathological Processes 2.0)

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Graphical abstract

Review

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42 pages, 1611 KiB

Open AccessReview

Dietary Polyphenols Effects on Focal Adhesion Plaques and Metalloproteinases in Cancer Invasiveness

by Raffaele Carrano, Martina Grande, Eleonora Leti Maggio, Carlotta Zucca, Riccardo Bei, Camilla Palumbo, Chiara Focaccetti, Daniela Nardozi, Valeria Lucarini, Valentina Angiolini, Patrizia Mancini, Francesca Barberini, Giovanni Barillari, Loredana Cifaldi, Laura Masuelli, Monica Benvenuto and Roberto Bei

Biomedicines 2024, 12(3), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12030482 - 21 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1300

Abstract

Focal adhesion plaques (FAPs) play an important role in the communication between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) and in cells’ migration. FAPs are macromolecular complexes made by different proteins which also interact with matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Because of these fundamental properties, FAPs and MMPs are also involved in cancer cells’ invasion and in the metastatic cascade. The most important proteins involved in FAP formation and activity are (i) integrins, (ii) a complex of intracellular proteins and (iii) cytoskeleton proteins. The latter, together with MMPs, are involved in the formation of filopodia and invadopodia needed for cell movement and ECM degradation. Due to their key role in cancer cell migration and invasion, MMPs and components of FAPs are often upregulated in cancer and are thus potential targets for cancer therapy. Polyphenols, a large group of organic compounds found in plant-based food and beverages, are reported to have many beneficial healthy effects, including anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. In this review, we discuss the growing evidence which demonstrates that polyphenols can interact with the different components of FAPs and MMPs, inhibit various pathways like PI3K/Akt, lower focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation and decrease cancer cells’ invasiveness, leading to an overall antitumoral effect. Finally, here we highlight that polyphenols could hold potential as adjunctive therapies to conventional cancer treatments due to their ability to target key mechanisms involved in cancer progression. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue MMPs and EMMPRIN/CD147 in Physiological and Pathological Processes 2.0)

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