MMP (Matrix metalloproteinase)
Matrix metalloproteinase — zinc-dependent enzyme that remodels the extracellular matrix.
For laboratory and research use only — not for human consumption.
MMPs are a family of more than twenty zinc-dependent endopeptidases that degrade extracellular-matrix proteins, enabling cell migration, tissue remodelling, and angiogenesis. Key members in healing research are MMP-2 and MMP-9 (gelatinases, involved in basement-membrane remodelling), MMP-13 (collagenase, important in cartilage breakdown), and MMP-3 (stromelysin). Excessive MMP activity drives chronic wound non-healing and cartilage degeneration; their endogenous tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) provide regulation. Thymosin beta-4 and BPC-157 upregulate MMP-2/-9 in healing contexts; pentosan polysulfate inhibits MMP-13 in osteoarthritis research.