Background/Objectives: Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) has been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression; however, its relationship to disease stage and its suitability as a circulating biomarker remain unclear. This study aimed to determine whether MMP-7 expression and activity differ between benign and malignant colorectal conditions and whether serum MMP-7 levels reflect disease progression. Methods: mRNA MMP-7 expression data and MMP-7 levels have been collected from Gepia, Protein Atlas and UALCAN databases. For the study of patient samples, ELISA, Western blot, and zymography were used. The study included 30 patients with benign findings and 60 patients with colorectal cancer. The Gepia database reported significantly higher MMP-7 levels in patients with CRC. Results: The Protein Atlas and UALCAN highlight a notable difference between benign and malignant colon adenocarcinoma patients. The MMP-7 level in tissue samples from the malignant group, evaluated by Western blot, was approximately 4.5 times higher than in the benign group, and almost 3 times higher in serum samples. Using zymography, patients in the malignant group had MMP-7 activity more than 4x higher than that of patients in the benign group. The ELISA results supported this increase in MMP-7 levels. The average MMP-7 level in the malignant group was 1.2-fold that in benign tissue samples and approximately 3-fold that in serum samples. Notably, significant sex-related differences in serum MMP-7 concentrations were observed, indicating that gender may influence the interpretation of this biomarker. Conclusions: The discordance between stable MMP7 mRNA expression and declining serum MMP-7 protein levels in advanced CRC suggests complex post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation of MMP-7 during disease progression. Although this finding contrasts with much of the existing literature, it should be regarded as novel and hypothesis-generating. These results indicate that serum MMP-7 may reflect early tumor-associated processes rather than late-stage tumor burden, warranting further investigation in larger, stage-stratified and longitudinal cohorts.
背景/目的：基质金属蛋白酶-7（MMP-7）被认为与结直肠癌（CRC）进展相关，但其与疾病分期的关系及其作为循环生物标志物的适用性尚不明确。本研究旨在确定MMP-7的表达和活性在良恶性结直肠病变间是否存在差异，以及血清MMP-7水平是否能反映疾病进展。方法：从Gepia、Protein Atlas和UALCAN数据库收集MMP-7 mRNA表达数据和MMP-7水平。针对患者样本研究，采用ELISA、Western blot和酶谱分析技术。研究共纳入30例良性病变患者和60例结直肠癌患者。Gepia数据库报告显示CRC患者的MMP-7水平显著升高。结果：Protein Atlas和UALCAN数据库数据显示良性与恶性结肠腺癌患者间存在显著差异。通过Western blot评估，恶性组组织样本中MMP-7水平约为良性组的4.5倍，血清样本中高出近3倍。酶谱分析显示恶性组患者的MMP-7活性超过良性组的4倍。ELISA结果同样支持MMP-7水平的升高。恶性组组织样本中平均MMP-7水平是良性组的1.2倍，血清样本中约为3倍。值得注意的是，血清MMP-7浓度存在显著的性别相关差异，表明性别可能影响该生物标志物的解读。结论：在晚期CRC中，稳定的MMP-7 mRNA表达与下降的血清MMP-7蛋白水平之间的不一致性，提示疾病进展过程中MMP-7存在复杂的转录后和翻译后调控。尽管这一发现与现有大量文献观点相左，但应被视为新颖且具有假设生成意义。这些结果表明血清MMP-7可能反映早期肿瘤相关过程而非晚期肿瘤负荷，需要在更大规模、分期分层和纵向队列中进一步研究。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家