A matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor (MMPI, INN stem –mastat[1]) inhibits matrix metalloproteinases. Because they inhibit cell migration, they have antiangiogenic effects. They may be both endogenous and exogenous.
The most notorious endogenous metalloproteinases are tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). There are also cartilage-derived angiogenesis inhibitors.
Exogenous matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors were developed as anticancer drugs.[2] Examples include:
Metalloproteinase inhibitors are found in numerous marine organisms, including fish, cephalopods, mollusks, algae, and bacteria.[3]