Abstract
Human urinary bladder cancer is a huge worldwide oncological problem causing many deaths every year. The degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) induced by molecules such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is one of the main factors influencing the process of metastasis origination. The MMP expression is tied to tumor aggressiveness, stage, and patient prognosis. The cleavage of constituent proteins is initiated and prolonged by matrix metalloproteinases, such as MMP-3 and MMP-10. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression and activity of both MMPs in human urinary bladder cancer occurring at various stages of the disease. Tissue samples from patients with urinary bladder cancer were analyzed. Samples were collected from patients with a low- and high-grade cancer. Control tissue was collected from the site opposite to the tumor. DNA content, MMPs content, and activity of MMP-3 and MMP-10 were measured using ELISA and Western blot techniques. MMP-3 and MMP-10 occur in high molecular complexes in human urinary bladder in healthy and cancerous tissues. Particularly, in high-grade tumors, the content of MMP-10 prevails over MMP-3. The actual and specific activities vary in both grades of urinary bladder cancer; however, the highest activity for MMP-3 and MMP-10 was found in low-grade tissues. In conclusion, MMP-10 had a higher content, but a lower activity in all investigated tissues compared to MMP-3. Generally, obtained results demonstrated a contrary participation of MMP-3 and MMP-10 in ECM remodeling what may be crucial in the pathogenesis of human urinary bladder carcinoma.