MMP3 and neoplasm: The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins (Caspase 3) and autophagy-related proteins (LC3 and LAMP1) were more decreased in liver tumor tissues than in non-tumor tissues, but the expression levels of cell growth markers (MMP3 and PCNA), MET, and p-mTOR were increased in liver tumor tissues compared with those in non-tumor tissues (Figure 6A).