The browning and mobilization of subcutaneous white adipose tissue supports efficient skin repair.

Adipocytes in dermis are considered to be important participants in skin repair and regeneration, but the role of subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT) in skin repair is poorly understood. Here, we revealed the dynamic changes of sWAT during wound healing process. Lineage-tracing mouse studies revealed that sWAT would enter into the large wound bed and participate in the formation of granulation tissue. Moreover, sWAT undergoes beiging after skin injury. Inhibition of sWAT beiging by genetically silencing PRDM16, a key regulator to beiging, hindered wound healing process. The transcriptomics results suggested that beige adipocytes in sWAT abundantly express neuregulin 4 (NRG4), which regulated macrophage polarization and the function of myofibroblasts. In diabetic wounds, the beiging of sWAT was significantly suppressed. Thus, adipocytes from sWAT regulate multiple aspects of repair and may be therapeutic for inflammatory diseases and defective wound healing associated with aging and diabetes.

Joint Performance of a Continuous Glass Fiber/Polypropylene Composite.

Thermoplastic composite structures possess superior properties compared with thermosetting composites, including recyclability and high damage tolerance. However, the poor adhesion properties of thermoplastic composites make their joining process challenging. In this research, three bonding techniques, namely adhesive, mechanical joining, and hybrid bonding, are investigated using lap shear specimens to evaluate their mechanical properties and failure modes. The stress distributions at the joints of the three bonding techniques are analyzed by numerical simulation. The findings demonstrate that hybrid bonding enhances the strength of composite joints, albeit at the expense of some stiffness due to the presence of an open hole. This method is particularly suitable for applications that necessitate robust connections requiring high strength.

Celastrol attenuates 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurotoxicity by regulating the miR-146a/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways in differentiated rat pheochromocytoma cells.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder. Recently, celastrol (Cel) has been reported to have neuroprotective properties. We investigated the protective effects of Cel on PD in a cell model with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells and further addressed the underlying protective mechanisms of Cel. METHODS: PC12 cells were treated with 6-OHDA, and Cel was added to the medium at various concentrations. The CCK-8 assay, Hoechst/PI staining, and flow cytometry analysis were performed to detect cellular viability and apoptosis. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was examined by JC-1 staining. ROS level was quantified by ROS staining. The effects of Cel on the expression of miR-146a and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway were then clarified using real-time PCR and Western blotting. Moreover, a miR-146a mimic was synthesized and transfected into PC12 cells to further determine the mechanisms of Cel's neuronal protection against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity. RESULTS: Cel greatly improved cell viability and lessened apoptosis. Flow cytometry showed that Cel especially inhibited early apoptosis. Cel also obviously restored the MMP and decreased ROS level destroyed by 6-OHDA. Moreover, 6-OHDA increased the expression of miR-146a and decreased pAkt/mTOR protein levels, whereas Cel reversed these changes. In particular, miR-146a targeted and inhibited the expression of PI3K, an upstream molecule of Akt/mTOR. Transfection of 6-OHDA-treated neurons with miR-146a mimic notably attenuated Cel's protective effects. LIMITATIONS: There were no animal experiments in our study. CONCLUSIONS: Cel exerts neuroprotective activity against 6-OHDA-caused neurotoxicity by regulating miR-146a/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which provides a potential application of Cel for treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Skeletal muscle provides a pro-browning microenvironment for transplanted brown adipose tissue to maintain its effect to ameliorate obesity in ob/ob mice.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) transplantation is a promising means of increasing whole-body energy metabolism to ameliorate obesity. However, the changes in BAT following transplantation and the effects of the microenvironment of the recipient site on graft function have yet to be fully characterized. Therefore, we aimed to determine the effects of transplanting BAT from C57BL/6 mice into the dorsal subcutaneous region or deep to the quadriceps femoris muscle of leptin-deficient ob/ob mice. Subcutaneously transplanted BAT lost features of BAT and demonstrated greater inflammatory cell infiltration and more oil cysts 16 weeks following transplantation. By contrast, the sub-muscularly transplanted BAT maintained features of BAT and was more highly vascularized. Interestingly, sub-muscular BAT transplantation led to a significant increase in oxygen consumption and less inflammation in subcutaneous fat, which was associated with long-term reductions in insulin resistance and body mass gain, whereas the subcutaneous transplants failed after 16 weeks. These results demonstrate that the beneficial effects of BAT transplantation depend upon the microenvironment of the recipient site. Skeletal muscle may provide a microenvironment that maintains the inherent features of BAT grafts over a long period of time, which facilitates a reduction in obesity and improvements in glucose homeostasis.

Induction of SPARC on Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Phenotype Transformation, and Apoptosis of Human Brain Smooth Muscle Cells Via TGF-ß1-NOX4 Pathway.

Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) has a close association with inflammatory response and oxidative stress in tissues and is widely expressed in intracranial aneurysms (IAs), especially in smooth muscle cells. Therefore, it is inferred that SPARC might be involved in the formation and development of IAs through the inflammatory response pathway or oxidative stress pathway. The aim of this study is to investigate the pathological mechanism of SPARC in oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis during the formation of IAs, as well as the involvement of TGF-ß1 and NOX4 molecules. Human brain vascular smooth muscle cells (HBVSMCs) were selected as experimental objects. After the cells were stimulated by recombinant human SPARC protein in vitro, the ROS level in the cells was measured using an ID/ROS fluorescence analysis kit combined with fluorescence microscope and flow cytometry. The related protein expression in HBVSMCs was measured using western blotting. The mitochondrial membrane potential change was detected using a mitochondrial membrane potential kit and laser confocal microscope. The mechanism was explored by intervention with reactive oxygen scavengers N-acetylcysteine (NAC), TGF-ß1 inhibitor (SD-208), and siRNA knockout. The results showed that SPARC upregulated the expression of NOX4 through the TGF-ß1-dependent signaling pathway, leading to oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory matrix behavior and apoptosis in HBVSMCs. These findings demonstrated that SPARC may promote the progression of IAs.

Toosendanin induces apoptosis of MKN­45 human gastric cancer cells partly through miR­23a­3p­mediated downregulation of BCL2.

Toosendanin (TSN) is a tetracyclic triterpenoid extracted from Melia toosendan Sieb, et Zucc, which primarily grows in specific areas of China. Although toosendanin (TSN) exerts antitumoral effects on various human cancer cells, its influence on gastric cancer (GC) is remains to be elucidated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) serve crucial roles in apoptosis and proliferation of cancer cells. miR­23a­3p has been shown to be associated with human GC; however, the specific function of miR­23a­3p in GC remains unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to elucidate the role of miR­23a­3p in the regulation of GC cell proliferation and apoptosis induced in vitro by TSN treatment. Subsequently, apoptosis­related genes expression levels were quantified by reverse transcription­quantitative PCR and western blot analysis, respectively, and the target relationship between miR­23a­3p and BCL2 was determined by luciferase reporter gene analysis. Additionally, cell proliferation and apoptosis experiments were carried out. The results indicated that TSN inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in MKN­45 cells. Moreover, it upregulated the expression of miR­23a­3p. B­cell lymphoma­2 (BCL2) was identified as a potential target gene of miR­23a­3p, which was demonstrated to bind to the 3'­untranslated region of BCL2 mRNA, as detected by the luciferase reporter assay. Further studies revealed that BCL2 expression was downregulated following overexpression of miR­23a­3p. In addition, the overexpression of the miR­23a­3p inhibited proliferation, induced G1 arrest and increased apoptosis in MKN­45 cells. The results of the present study demonstrated that miR­23a­3p inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of GC cells, which may be attributable to its direct targeting of BCL2. These results may provide a novel insight into the apoptosis of GC cells, and may lead to investigations into the mechanisms of the effects of TSN.

Knockdown of circHomer1 ameliorates METH-induced neuronal injury through inhibiting Bbc3 expression.

Current studies have illustrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a vital part of non-coding RNA (ncRNAs) species and highly abundant and dynamically expressed in brain. However, the exact mechanisms by which circRNAs modulate methamphetamine (METH)-induced neuronal damage still remain largely unexplored. Consistent with our previous study, the expression of circHomer1 was significantly up-regulated after METH treatment in HT-22 cells. We confirmed its loop structure by detection of its back-splice junction with qRT-PCR product via sequence. Moreover, circHomer1 was resistant against RNase R digestion compared with its linear mRNA Homer1. Inhibition of circHomer1 expression indeed alleviated METH-induced neurotoxicity, with lower apoptosis rate via flow cytometry and cleaved Caspase3 protein level. Furthermore, we speculated that Bbc3 functioned as a target of circHomer1 based on computational algorithm, and knockdown of circHomer1 actually reduced Bbc3 expression at the mRNA and protein level. Besides, suppression of Bbc3 decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and radio of PI-positive cells. Furthermore, we analyzed the correlation in pairs among circHomer1, Bbc3 and behaviors in well-developed METH-addicted models using Pearson's correlation coefficient, which implied an important role of circHomer1 and Bbc3 in addictive behaviors. In all, we for the first time identified a novel circRNA, circHomer1 and our results suggested that circHomer1 regulated METH-induced lethal process by suppressing the Bbc3 expression.

SPARC induces phenotypic modulation of human brain vascular smooth muscle cells via AMPK/mTOR-mediated autophagy.

Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) was widely expressed in VSMCs of human IAs and could reduce the capability of self-repair. This indicates that SPARC may play a role in the promotion of IAs formation and progression, but the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we further investigated whether SPARC could induce phenotypic modulation of Human Brain Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells (HBVSMCs) and sought to elucidate the role of SPARC-mediated autophagy involved in it. The results demonstrated that SPARC inhibited the expression of contractile genes in HBVSMCs and induced a synthetic phenotype. More importantly, SPARC significantly up-regulated multiple proteins including autophagy marker microtubule-associated protein light chain 3-II (LC3-II), Beclin-1, and autophagy-related gene 5(ATG5). Furthermore, SPARC could promote p62 degradation. The autophagy inhibitor 3- methyladenine (3-MA) significantly blocked SPARC-induced phenotypic modulation of HBVSMCs. We further sought to elucidate the molecular mechanism involved in SPARC-induced autophagy, and found that SPARC could activate the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway in HBVSMCs. AMPK could be pharmacologically inhibited by Compound C (CC), which significantly decreased the phosphorylation of AMPK into p-AMPK, increased the phosphorylation of mTOR into p-mTOR, and decreased LC3-II, Beclin-1 and ATG5 levels. This suggested that activated AMPK/ mTOR signaling is related to SPARC-mediated autophagy. These results indicated that SPARC plays a role in the phenotypic modulation of HBVSMCs through autophagy activation by AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

A novel assessing system for predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer.

Aim: To develop novel diagnostic tools that can predict the prognosis of gastric cancer. Material & methods: Using RNA expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus, we established protein-coding RNAs-noncoding RNAs-tumor microenvironment type (PNM) scores, which contain signatures of tumor protein coding genes (P), tumor noncoding genes (N) and immune/stroma cells in tumor microenvironment (M) to predict the prognosis of gastric cancer. Results & conclusion: Based on PNM scores, gastric cancer patients were divided into three subgroups and Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed significant differences among the subgroups (p < 0.001). Our study showed that the PNM scores could be used as a robust predicting tool for the prognosis of gastric cancer.

FOXF1 promotes angiogenesis and accelerates bevacizumab resistance in colorectal cancer by transcriptionally activating VEGFA.

Forkhead box F1 (FOXF1) has been recently implicated in the progression and metastasis of lung cancer and breast cancer. However, the biological functions and underlying mechanisms by which FOXF1 regulates the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) are largely unknown. As shown in our previous study, FOXF1 is upregulated in 182 CRC tissues, and elevated FOXF1 expression is significantly associated with microvessel density and advanced TNM (T = primary tumour; N = regional lymph nodes; M = distant metastasis) stages. In this study, 43 CRC tissues collected from patients who underwent treatment with first-line standard chemotherapeutic regimens in combination with bevacizumab were used to explore the correlation between FOXF1 expression and resistance to bevacizumab. In addition, FOXF1 regulated angiogenesis by inducing the transcription of vascular endothelial growth factor A1 (VEGFA) in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, upregulation of FOXF1 enhanced bevacizumab resistance in CRC, and inhibition of VEGFA attenuated angiogenesis and bevacizumab resistance in FOXF1-overexpressing CRC cells. These results suggest that FOXF1 plays critical roles in CRC angiogenesis and bevacizumab resistance by inducing VEGFA transcription and that FOXF1 represents a potentially new therapeutic strategy and biomarker for anti-angiogenic therapy against CRC.

FOXF1 Induces Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Colorectal Cancer Metastasis by Transcriptionally Activating SNAI1.

Forkhead Box F1 (FOXF1) has been recently implicated in cancer progression and metastasis of lung cancer and breast cancer. However, the biological functions and underlying mechanisms of FOXF1 in the regulation of the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) are largely unknown. We showed that FOXF1 was up-regulated in 93 paraffin-embedded archived human CRC tissue, and both high expression and nuclear location of FOXF1 were significantly associated with the aggressive characteristics and poorer survival of CRC patients. The GSEA analysis showed that the higher level of FOXF1 was positively associated with an enrichment of EMT gene signatures, and exogenous overexpression of FOXF1 induced EMT by transcriptionally activating SNAI1. Exogenous overexpression FOXF1 functionally promoted invasion and metastasis features of CRC cells, and inhibition of SNAI1 attenuates the invasive phenotype and metastatic potential of FOXF1-overexpressing CRC cells. Furthermore, the results of the tissue chip showed that the expression of FOXF1 was positively correlated with SNAI1 in CRC tissues chip. These results suggested that FOXF1 plays a critical role in CRC metastasis by inducing EMT via transcriptional activation of SNAI1, highlighting a potential new therapeutic strategy for CRC.

Resveratrol Suppresses Rotenone-induced Neurotoxicity Through Activation of SIRT1/Akt1 Signaling Pathway.

Rotenone is a common pesticide and has been reported as one of the risk factors for Parkinson disease. Rotenone can cause neuronal death or apoptosis through inducing oxidative injury and inhibiting mitochondrial function. As a natural polyphenolic compound, resveratrol possesses the antioxidant capacity and neuroprotective effect. However, the mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effect of resveratrol against rotenone-induced neurotoxicity remains elusive. Here, we treated PC12 cells with rotenone to induce neurotoxicity, and the neurotoxic cells were subjected to resveratrol treatment. The CCK8 and LDH activity assays demonstrated that resveratrol could suppress neurotoxicity induced by rotenone (P < 0.01). The DCFH-DA assay indicated that resveratrol reduced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). JC-1 and Hoechst 33342/PI staining revealed that resveratrol attenuated mitochondrial dysfunction and cell apoptosis. Moreover, resveratrol reversed rotenone-induced decrease in SIRT1 expression and Akt1 phosphorylation (P < 0.05). Furthermore, when the SIRT1 and Akt1 activity was inhibited by niacinamide and LY294002, respectively, the neuroprotective effect of resveratrol was remarkably attenuated, which implied that SIRT1 and Akt1 could mediate this process and may be potential molecular targets for intervening rotenone-induced neurotoxicity. In summary, our study demonstrated that resveratrol reduced rotenone-induced oxidative damage, which was partly mediated through activation of the SIRT1/Akt1 signaling pathway. Our study launched a promising avenue for the potential application of resveratrol as a neuroprotective therapeutic agent in Parkinson disease. Anat Rec, 301:1115-1125, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tripartite motif-containing protein 37 is overexpressed in human glioma and its downregulation inhibits human glioma cell growth in vitro.

Glioma is one of the most malignant tumor types worldwide. Despite great efforts made in surgery, imaging, chemotherapy, and radiation, the overall prognosis for patients with glioma remains poor. The pathogenesis of glioma is an urgent problem that must be solved. Tripartite motif-containing protein 37 (TRIM37) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that may be involved in the tumorigenesis of several types of cancer; however, its expression pattern and biological functions in glioma remain unknown. Our previous studies indicated that the expression levels of TRIM37 were upregulated in glioma samples and were associated with a higher glioma grade. The present study demonstrates that suppression of TRIM37 by RNA-mediated interference inhibits the growth of glioma cells in vitro, which is associated with induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, and with inhibition of migration and invasion. These results provide insights into understanding the role of TRIM37 in regulating the biological behavior of glioma cells and may indicate TRIM37 as a candidate target for the treatment of glioma.

Recombinant Immunotoxin Therapy of Glioblastoma: Smart Design, Key Findings, and Specific Challenges.

Recombinant immunotoxins (RITs) refer to a group of recombinant protein-based therapeutics, which consists of two components: an antibody variable fragment or a specific ligand that allows RITs to bind specifically to target cells and an engineered toxin fragment that kills the target cells upon internalization. To date, over 1,000 RITs have been generated and significant success has been achieved in the therapy of hematological malignancies. However, the immunogenicity and off-target toxicities of RITs remain as significant barriers for their application to solid tumor therapy. A group of RITs have also been generated for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, and some have demonstrated evidence of tumor response and an acceptable profile of toxicity and safety in early clinical trials. Different from other solid tumors, how to efficiently deliver the RITs to intracranial tumors is more critical and needs to be solved urgently. In this article, we first review the design and expression of RITs, then summarize the key findings in the preclinical and clinical development of RIT therapy of glioblastoma multiforme, and lastly discuss the specific issues that still remain to forward RIT therapy to clinical practice.

The combination of db-cAMP and ChABC with poly(propylene carbonate) microfibers promote axonal regenerative sprouting and functional recovery after spinal cord hemisection injury.

This study describes the use of poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) electrospun microfibres impregnated with a combination of dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (db-cAMP) and chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) in the treatment of right-side hemisected spinal cord injury (SCI). Release of db-cAMP and/or ChABC from the microfibres was assessed in vitro using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Drug-impregnated microfibres were implanted into the hemisected thoracic spinal cord of rats, and treatment was evaluated using functional recovery examinations and immunohistochemistry. Our results demonstrated that the microfibres containing db-cAMP and/or ChABC displayed a stable and prolonged release of each agent. Sustained delivery of db-cAMP and/or ChABC was found to promote axonal regenerative sprouting, functional recovery, and reduced glial scar formation when compared to untreated control animals. The combination of both db-cAMP and ChABC was determined to be more effective than using either drug alone in the treatment of SCI. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using PPC electrospun microfibres for multi-drug combination therapy in SCI.

Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine Modulates Molecular Arterial Homeostasis of Human Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells In Vitro.

Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is widely expressed in the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of human intracranial aneurysms (IAs), but the effect and underlying mechanism of SPARC on VSMCs during the formation and progression of IAs needs to be probed. Human umbilical arterial smooth muscle cells (HUASMCs) were treated with a gradient concentrations of SPARC in vitro for different time. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, cell cycle, and cell apoptosis were used to investigate the effect of SPARC on HUASMCs. After exposure to 2 and 4 µg/ml SPARC, cell viability were 89.3 ± 2.00 %, and 87.57 ± 2.17 % (P < 0.05 vs. control), respectively. Induced by 2 µg/ml SPARC, the proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase was 74.77 ± 1.33 % (P < 0.05 vs. control), and the early and late apoptosis ratio were 7.38 ± 1.25 % and 4.86 ± 0.81 % (P < 0.01 vs. control), respectively. After exposure to 2 µg/ml SPARC for 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h, Western blot analysis showed that the protein level of p21 was upregulated significantly at 2-12 h (P < 0.05 vs. control), while the expression of p53 remained stable within 48 h. The expression of Bax protein increased markedly and peaked at 24 (P < 0.01 vs. control), while Bcl2 protein decreased significantly at 48 h (P < 0.01 vs. control). Cleaved caspase3 was also upregulated dramatically and peaked at 24 h (P < 0.05 vs. control). The protein level of MMP2 increased significantly and peaked at 24 h (P < 0.01 vs. control), while TIMP2 remained stable and even reduced at 48 h (P < 0.05 vs. control). Taken together, SPARC could arrest HUASMCs in G0/G1 phase by overexpression of p21 and induce mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in vitro, which could result in the decreased cell viability. Besides, SPARC might also lead to the activation of MMP2 instead of MMP9. These results indicated SPARC could reduce the self-repair capability and increase injury of media layer and internal elastic lamina of intracranial artery, which would disrupt the normal homeostatic mechanism controlling vascular repair, thus promoting the formation and progression of IAs.

Löffler endocarditis with multiple cerebral embolism.

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome is an uncommon leukoproliferative systemic disorder characterized by the sustained eosinophilia and target organ damage. We report the case of a 56-year-old man presenting with multiple cerebral embolism, Löffler endocarditis, and hypereosinophilia. This patient also had pleural, bone marrow, and skin involvement. The unique feature was multifocal embolisms in the brain.

Neuroinflammation and cell therapy for Parkinson's disease.

Cell therapy is a promising therapeutic alternative for Parkinson's disease, and one possible limiting factor may be that the pathological environment of PD is hostile for the process of neurogenesis, including grafted stem cells survival, proliferation, migration and dopaminergic neuronal fate specification along with maturation of the immature neurons and ultimately integration of the new neuronal progeny into functional neuronal circuits. Uncontrolled microglial activation and neuroinflammation contributes to neuronal damage in PD. Similarly, the microglia-derived inflammatory mediators may also influence grafted stem cells. Thus, we discuss reactive microgliosis and sustained, chronic neuroinflammation in PD, together with cytokine-dependent neurotoxicity and inflammation-derived oxidative stress on dopaminergic neuron in the substantia nigra pars compacta substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Based on these, we further summarize the interaction between neuroinflammation and stem cells, and conclude that neuroinflammation acts as double-edged swords, instead of simply beneficial or detrimental, and stem cells display immunomodulatory functions beneficial for dopaminergic neurons via an anti-inflammatory action in PD.

Expression of MMP-10 in lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-mediated degradation of the extracellular matrix is a key point in tumor development and expansion. MMP-10 is one of the most important and well-characterized members of the MMP family. In the present study, we examined MMP-10 mRNA and protein levels in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three endogenous reference genes including GAPDH, beta-actin and 18S rRNA, and MMP-10 mRNA levels were determined using real-time RT-PCR. Immunohistochemical staining was applied to examine MMP-10 protein levels. Both tumor and adjacent normal lung tissues were collected from 32 NSCLC patients. The mRNA levels of GAPDH, beta-actin and 18S rRNA exhibited great differences in tumor tissues and in the adjacent normal tissues. The ratio of mRNA levels in the tumor tissues compared to the adjacent normal tissues followed the pattern GAPDH > beta-actin > 18S rRNA. Thereafter, we chose 18S rRNA as the reference gene for MMP-10 mRNA level determinations. MMP-10 mRNA levels in tumor tissues were significantly lower than those in the adjacent normal tissues (p =0.0423). However, the MMP-10 protein levels were higher in the tumor tissues than in the adjacent normal tissues (p=0.0055). The MMP-10 mRNA level was positively-correlated to the MMP-10 protein level in tumor tissues (r=0.4672, p=0.0161), but this correlation was not seen in the adjacent normal tissues (r=-0.0030, p=0.9891). CONCLUSION: There were no statistical differences in MMP-10 mRNA levels and protein levels in relation to patient's gender, age, tumor stages, tumor size, lymph node metastasis or tumor histological type.