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A matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor (INN stem –mastat[1]) inhibits matrix metalloproteinases. Because they inhibit cell migration, they have antiangiogenic effects. They are endogenous or exogenous.
The most notorious endogenous metalloproteinases are tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, followed by 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]