The present study aimed to investigate the association between insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP-11) expression in gastric cancer (GC) and the underlying mechanisms in SGC-7901 cells.
Knockdown of MMP11 expression could inhibit the proliferation and invasion of GAC cells probably through down-regulation of the IGF-1 signaling pathway, suggesting that MMP11 might be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of gastric cancer.
In addition, increased matrix metalloproteinase 11 expression levels were associated with advanced-stage and high-grade tumors, suggesting its involvement in the progression of gastric cancer.
As a secreted protein, MMP11 may play an important role in carcinogenesis and has potential implication as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of human cancers including gastric cancer.
These results provide new insights into the function of MMP11 and suggest that MMP11 may play an important role in the control of cell proliferation and tumor development in GC.