The present data suggest that high levels of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNAs in the primary carcinomas are strongly associated with development of metastasis in breast cancer.
Similarly, TIMP-1 RNA levels were higher in primary CRC with distant metastases than those without distant metastases (17.6 +/- 4.1 versus 9.3 +/- 1.9) (P = 0.04).
These results suggest that high levels of TIMP-1 transcripts in advanced stages of thyroid carcinoma likely come from stroma rather than thyroid cancer cells, and TIMP-1 may function as a thyroid tumour invasion/metastasis suppressor.
Analysis of the metastatic lesions showed that they expressed TGF-beta1 and MMP-2 but barely detectable levels of IL-10 or TIMP-1, suggesting that IL-10 and TIMP-1 might normally block tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis.
Furthermore, S100A4 levels were determined because recent reports have suggested a possible association between MMPs, TIMPs, and the metastasis-associated gene S100A4.
Therefore, up-regulation of TIMP-1 expression by IL-2 likely contributed to the additive effect of IL-2 and TIMP-1 in reducing metastatic disease in the animal model.
No significant effect on metastasis formation was observed in another transgenic mouse model with increased TIMP-1 expression in lungs but low plasma levels, where the transgene was placed under the control of the murine mammary tumor virus promoter.
c9,t11-CLA can inhibit the invasion of SGC-7901 cells at multiple procedures in tumor metastasis cascade, which may be associated with the induction of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNA expression.
beta-ionone can inhibit the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells, upregulate the expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 expression, and may influence metastasis of cancer.
These results demonstrated that nm23-H1 can suppress the mobility and metastatic capacity of cancer cells and the molecular mechanism by which nm23-H1 suppresses tumor metastasis may be via increasing the expression of metastasis-related genes such as beta-Catenin, E-Cadherin and TIMP-1 and decreasing the expression of MMP-2, CD44V6 and VEGF.
Transcript concentrations are correlated with histomorphological and biological factors, TIMP-1 protein, and distant metastasis-free survival (MFS) and OS time.
TIMP1 was overexpressed in both sites where as TIMP-2, IGF-1, and HIF-1alpha were upregulated only in peritoneal metastases demonstrating the potential benefit of metastasis site-specific treatments.
This newly identified co-operation between TIMP-1 and host uPA suggests that therapies, simultaneously interfering with pro- and anti-proteolytic pathways may be beneficial for patients with metastatic disease.
We also observed that implantation of fibroblasts infected with Ad-TIMP-1 alone, Ad-End alone, or Ad-TIMP-1 plus Ad-End resulted in detectable blood levels which may clearly inhibit the tumor growth and metastasis in a murine melanoma model.
Degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), a critical step in cancer metastasis, is determined by the balance between MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases) and their inhibitors TIMPs (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases).