“…The MMPs, which are known as a family of zincdependent endopeptidases, are essential for normal tissue remodeling [29], and many studies have shown the involvement of MMPs in tumor growth [9], differentiation [12], apoptosis [24], migration, invasion [7], the regulation of tumor angiogenesis [23] and immune surveillance [lo]. One member of the MMP family, MMP-1, is capable of degrading type I, 11, 111, VII, X, gelatin, and aggrecan [8].…”