Multi-Platform Detection of MMP-7 in Colorectal Carcinoma

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) has been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression; however, its relationship to disease stage and its suitability as a circulating biomarker remain unclear. This study aimed to determine whether MMP-7 expression and activity differ between benign and malignant colorectal conditions and whether serum MMP-7 levels reflect disease progression. Methods: mRNA MMP-7 expression data and MMP-7 levels have been collected from Gepia, Protein Atlas and UALCAN databases. For the study of patient samples, ELISA, Western blot, and zymography were used. The study included 30 patients with benign findings and 60 patients with colorectal cancer. The Gepia database reported significantly higher MMP-7 levels in patients with CRC. Results: The Protein Atlas and UALCAN highlight a notable difference between benign and malignant colon adenocarcinoma patients. The MMP-7 level in tissue samples from the malignant group, evaluated by Western blot, was approximately 4.5 times higher than in the benign group, and almost 3 times higher in serum samples. Using zymography, patients in the malignant group had MMP-7 activity more than 4x higher than that of patients in the benign group. The ELISA results supported this increase in MMP-7 levels. The average MMP-7 level in the malignant group was 1.2-fold that in benign tissue samples and approximately 3-fold that in serum samples. Notably, significant sex-related differences in serum MMP-7 concentrations were observed, indicating that gender may influence the interpretation of this biomarker. Conclusions: The discordance between stable MMP7 mRNA expression and declining serum MMP-7 protein levels in advanced CRC suggests complex post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation of MMP-7 during disease progression. Although this finding contrasts with much of the existing literature, it should be regarded as novel and hypothesis-generating. These results indicate that serum MMP-7 may reflect early tumor-associated processes rather than late-stage tumor burden, warranting further investigation in larger, stage-stratified and longitudinal cohorts.