Evaluation of Matrix Metalloproteinases 2 and 9 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Verrucous Carcinoma

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity with a highly aggressive nature. Verrucous carcinoma (VC) is a low-grade SCC with mild clinical and pathological characteristics. Extracellular matrix degradation (ECM) by several proteolytic enzymes, especially matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), is an important factor in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression level of immunohistochemistry of MMPs 2 and 9 in SCC and VC of oral cavity. Patients and Methods: The present study was conducted on the data of 20 SCC and 18 VC samples obtained from the pathology department archives. Microscopic examination was performed after immunohistochemical staining of the samples for MMP-2 and MMP-9. Data analysis was performed in SPSS 20 software. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare variables between groups. Results: All SCC and VC samples were positive for MMP-2 and MMP-9. The mean expression level of MMP-9 was 24.41±20.68 in VC and 48.27±12.11 in SCC. The mean expression level of MMP-9 in SCC was higher than VC. In addition, the expression level of MMP-9 varied in different histopathological grades of SCC. Matrix metalloproteinase expression levels were different in SCC grades and was especially higher in grade III. The mean expression level of MMP-2 in VC was 35.28 ± 30.63 and in SCC was 23.50 ± 12.68. The mean expression level of MMP-2 in VC was higher than SCC. Conclusions: Our findings showed that the expression levels of MMPs 2 and 9 in SCC and VC are higher than healthy tissue.