MMP12 is a Potential Therapeutic Target for Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma: Conclusions from Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiments

Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is considered a benign intracranial tumor, but it can also exhibit aggressive characteristics. Due to its unique location in the suprasellar, which brings it close to important nerves and vascular structures, ACP can often lead to significant neuroendocrine diseases. The current treatments primarily include surgical intervention, radiation therapy or a combination of the two, but these can lead to serious complications and adversely affect the quality of life of patients. Thus, it is important to identify effective and safe alternatives. Recently, studies have focused on the tumor genome, transcriptome and proteome in an attempt to identify potential therapeutic targets for clinical use. However, studies on this region of the CP are limited; thus, the present study focused on this region. The GSE94349 and GSE68015 datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and analyzed. In the studies, the effect of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)12 inhibitor, MMP408, on cell proliferation and protein expression was assessed. The results demonstrated that MMP408 effectively inhibited cell proliferation and migration of ACP cells, and decreased the expression levels of the related proteins. Thus, MMP12 may be used as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ACP.