Significance of NF-κB and MMP-9 expressions in peritoneal micrometastases of colorectal carcinoma

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the significance of NF-κB and MMPs expressions in peritoneal micrometastases of colorectal carcinoma.METHODS:Eighty samples of colorectal cancers were studied.CEA and CK20 expressions of cancer cells in peritoneal lavage were detected by immunocytochemistry.The expressions of NF-κB and MMP-9 of primary tumors were detected by Immunohistochemistry technology.A transmission electronic microscope(TEM)was used to observe the cell junction feature of colorectal carcinoma.RESULTS:1)The positive rate of combinative examination of CEA and CK-20 was 35.0%(28/80).2)Both the expressions of NF-κB and MMP-9 proteins in primary colorectal carcinoma were higher than those in the normal mucosa(P0.05).The difference was significant between the NF-κB positive expression group(40.7%)and the negative group(19.0%,P0.05).The rate of peritoneal micrometastases in the MMP-9 positive and negative expression cases were 39.4%(26/66)and 14.3%(2/14)respectively(P0.05).NF-κB and MMP-9 were linear correlation.3)TEM showed that the colorectal cancer cells with the peritoneal micrometastases lacked of the desmosomes.CONCLUSIONS:The expression of NF-κB can up-regulate the expression of MMP-9.MMP-9 degrats cell matrix protein and loosens cell junction,and as a result,cancer cells entry into abdominal cavity to form micrometastasis.