Effect of nanoparticles on the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases

Abstract

Matrix metallopeptidases, commonly known as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), are a group of proteolytic enzymes whose main function is the remodeling of the extracellular matrix. Changes in the activity of these enzymes are observed in many pathological states, including cancer metastases. An increasing body of evidence indicates that nanoparticles (NPs) can lead to the deregulation of MMP expression and/or activity both in vitro and in vivo. In this work, we summarized the current state of knowledge on the impact of NPs on MMPs. The literature analysis showed that the impact of NPs on MMP expression and/or activity is inconclusive. NPs exhibit both stimulating and inhibitory effects, which might be dependent on multiple factors, such as NP size and coating or a cellular model used in the research.

Keywords

• enzymes
• extracellular matrix
• metalloproteinases
• nanoparticles