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Increased plasma levels of urokinase plasminogen activator and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in nonsmall cell lung cancer patients.

Yang SF, Hsieh YS, Lin CL, Hsu NY, Chiou HL, Chou FP, Chu SC

Institute of Biochemistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The involvements of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) in the pathogenesis of various types of lung cancers have been established. The aim of the present study was to determine the concentrations of MMP-9 and uPA in the plasma of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. METHODS: Gelatin zymography and ELISA were used to measure MMP-9 and uPA concentrations, respectively, in 90 NSCLC patients and 50 control subjects. RESULTS: Compared with that of control subjects, MMP-9 and uPA levels were significantly higher in the plasma of NSCLC patients (P<0.001 and P<0.01, respectively). Further statistical analysis for clinic pathological parameters revealed that MMP-9 and uPA levels were significantly increased in patients with metastasis (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Furthermore, the MMP-9 level was significantly different between smokers and nonsmokers (P<0.05) while uPA levels varied between histological types (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma MMP-9 and uPA might play an important role in the metastasis of NSCLC by involvement in the processes of invasion and metastasis.

Published 7 March 2005 in Clin Chim Acta, 354(1): 91-9.
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