VEGFA and breast cancer: Moreover, DIM has also been shown to downregulate the expression of urokinase plasminogen activator (UPA), a protein that degrades the ECM and is postulated to play a key role in breast cancer metastasis, and DIM was noted to attenuate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and MMP-9 levels—proteins that are noted to modulate cell growth and migration.