ABSTRACT. We examined whether the allelic and/or genotypic profile of locus -1562C/T of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) gene influences the protein expression levels of MMP-9 in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) compared with controls. A total of 104 patients with CRC and 84 controls were evaluated. Peripheral blood was collected from both groups and DNA extraction was performed for -1562C/T genotyping; the plasma was used for MMP-9 quantification. The CT genotype was associated with increased MMP-9 expression (P = 0.0211). High levels of protein, independently of polymorphisms, were observed in the patient group (P < 0.0001) compared to controls. Mucinous tumors with signet ring cells were more frequent in females (P = 0.0177). Overall, patients older than 50 years showed a significant risk of developing CRC (P = 0.0001). MMP- 9 plasma expression was increased in patients with CRC compared to controls, particularly in those with the heterozygous -1562CT genotype.

Background: miR-21, miR-214, and miR-let-7a are three validated and well-known miRNAs. miR-21 is described as an “oncomir,” while miR-214 and miR-let-7a are described mainly as tumor suppressors. The role of these miRNAs remains unclear in cervical cancer, an important malignancy among women worldwide and responsible for many deaths every year. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the expression profile of miR-21, miR-214, and miR-let-7a in plasma and cervical scraping from a control group and patients with different grades of cervical lesions and invasive cervical cancer, and then correlate with HPV infection groups. Methods: Plasma and cervical scraping were submitted to DNA and RNA extraction. HPV detection and typing were performed by conventional PCR followed by PAGE to amplicons interpretation. The miRNA relative expression in plasma and cervical scraping samples was performed by real-time PCR using specific TaqMan probes. Results: miR-21 (p=0.0277) and miR-214 (p=0.0151) were up-regulated in cervical scraping samples of the invasive cervical cancer (ICC) group. However, miR-214 was also up-regulated in the LSIL group (p=0.0062). Both miRNAs were not related to HPV infection. However, miR-let-7a was higher in HPV positive plasma samples (p=0.0433) than in HPV negative plasma samples, and the correlation analysis confirmed the association between the levels of this miRNA with the presence of HPV (p=0.0407; r=0.3029), but not with lesion grade (p>0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that miR-21 is related to cervical cancer progression and miR-214 appears to have an ambiguous role in cervical lesions. miR-let-7a may be upregulated at the systemic level in patients with HPV infection.

The frequency of STIs was high in asymptomatic patients. Infections by HPV and were independently associated with the presence of CIN. The high frequency of STIs in asymptomatic women suggests the need for routine screening of these infections.