title: Matrix metalloproteinase expression in normal skin associated with basal cell carcinoma and in distal skin from the same patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To obviate the difficulty of ruling out confounding variables (eg, age, individual variability) as the source of differences seen when comparing tumor tissue and control tissue from unrelated individuals, we examined the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 (interstitial collagenase) and MMP-9 (92-kDa gelatinase B) in histologically normal skin immediately adjacent to basal cell carcinomas (peritumoral tissue) after Mohs micrographic surgery and postauricular skin from the same patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peritumoral and postauricular skin samples were obtained from 17 patients undergoing Mohs surgery. Expression of MMP-1 and MMP-9 was examined in these specimens using a combination of approaches including zymography, collagen-degradation assays, and immunohistology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression levels of MMP-1 and MMP-9 were consistently elevated in the peritumoral tissue compared with skin from the distal site.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This finding indicates that even when potentially important variables such as age and individual variability are controlled for, tumor-specific effects on the expression of MMP-9 and MMP-1 remain.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, 48109, USA.
authors: Nathan
authors: N
authors: Monhian
authors: Brian S
authors: BS
authors: Jewett
authors: Shan R
authors: SR
authors: Baker
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Varani
mesh_terms: D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005347:Fibroblasts; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes; D020781:Matrix Metalloproteinase 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015580:Mohs Surgery; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; D020781:Matrix Metalloproteinase 1