Matrix Metalloproteinases in Chemoresistance: Regulatory Roles, Molecular Interactions, and Potential Inhibitors

• Main Authors: Tune, Bernadette Xin Jie, Sim, Maw Shin, Poh, Chit Laa, Guad, Rhanye Mac, Woon, Choy Ker, Hazarika, Iswar, Das, Anju, Gopinath, Subash C. B., Rajan, Mariappan, Sekar, Mahendran, Subramaniyan, Vetriselvan, Fuloria, Neeraj Kumar, Fuloria, Shivkanya, Batumalaie, Kalaivani, Wu, Yuan Seng
• Format: Article
• Published: Hindawi Ltd 2022
• Subjects: R Medicine; RS Pharmacy and materia medica
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/42209/

Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Its treatments usually fail when the tumor has become malignant and metastasized. Metastasis is a key source of cancer recurrence, which often leads to resistance towards chemotherapeutic agents. Hence, most cancer-related deaths are linked to the occurrence of chemoresistance. Although chemoresistance can emerge through a multitude of mechanisms, chemoresistance and metastasis share a similar pathway, which is an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a class of zinc and calcium-chelated enzymes, are found to be key players in driving cancer migration and metastasis through EMT induction. The aim of this review is to discuss the regulatory roles and associated molecular mechanisms of specific MMPs in regulating chemoresistance, particularly EMT initiation and resistance to apoptosis. A brief presentation on their potential diagnostic and prognostic values was also deciphered. It also aimed to describe existing MMP in