Comparison of MMP-2, MMP-9, COX-2, and PGP Expression in Feline Injection-Site and Feline Noninjection-Site Sarcomas—Pilot Study

Abstract

Feline injection-site sarcomas (FISSs) are aggressive neoplasms that have been associated mostly with vaccination. Feline noninjection-site sarcomas (non-FISSs) are less frequently observed in cats and may arise in any anatomic site. This study aimed to determine the differences in the expression of the selected proteins (matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and P-glycoprotein (PGP)) and their correlation with the mitotic count in FISS and non-FISS, in order to characterize their immunohistochemical features. A preliminary study of eleven samples of FISS and eight samples of non-FISS was performed using immunohistochemistry. Among all the tested sarcomas, 80.4% of the tumors were positive for COX-2, 90.2% were positive for MMP-9, and 100% were positive for PGP. The results showed that the expressions of COX-2, MMP-9, and PGP were significantly higher in FISS than in non-FISS (COX-2—p ≤ 0.001; MMP-9—p ≤ 0.05; and PGP—p ≤ 0.05). A Spearman rank correlation analysis showed a moderate negative correlation between the expression of COX-2 and MMP-9 in FISS (r = −0.52). A strong negative correlation between COX-2 and PGP (r = −0.81), a moderate positive correlation between MMP-2 and MMP-9 (r = +0.69), and a moderate negative correlation between MMP-2 and PGP (r = −0.44) were observed in non-FISS. In summary, our study presents the immunohistochemical profile of the proteins involved with inflammation and carcinogenesis in FISS and non-FISS, which can contribute to expanding the knowledge of tumor biology.