The tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1) is a glycoprotein with a molecular mass of about 28-kDa. The secreted protein consists of 184 amino acids, six disuilfide bonds and two glycosylation sites containing N-linked oligosaccharides. TIMP-1 specifically inhibits the extracellular-matrix-egradingmetalloproteinases such as collagenase, gelatinase and stromelysin. It has no activity on mammalian membrane metallo-proteinases, procollagen
peptidase, or on bacterial metalloproteinases such as thermolysin