Table 3 MMPs regulating EMT

MMP1

Promotes metastasis

–

[51]

MMP2

Promotes angiogenesis, gastric cancer cell survivability and invasiveness; degrades the basement membrane; facilitates permeation into lymphatics

PI3K/Akt/Sp1

[44, 53, 54, 235,236,237]

MMP7

Unknown. Associated with invasion of the gastric wall, lymph node metastasis, peritoneal metastasis and poor survival of gastric cancer patients

AP-1/STAT3

[46, 59, 60]

MMP9

Promotes cell migration, invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and lymphangiogenesis; degrades the basement membrane; facilitates permeation into lymphatics

Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)/Akt

[27, 44, 45, 47,48,49, 55, 188, 235, 238]

MMP11

Decreases cancer cell death through apoptosis and necrosis; increases proliferation and invasion.

IGF1 pathway

[67, 239, 240]

MMP14

Unknown. Associated with high clinical stage, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis

–

[68,69,70]

MT3-MMP

Increases invasiveness

WNT/β-Catenin

[241]