Tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloprotease-1 (TIMP-1) is a glycoprotein that is expressed from the several tissues of organisms. This protein is a member of the TIMP family. The glycoprotein is a natural inhibitor of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a group of peptidases involved in degradation of the extracellular matrix. In addition to its inhibitory role against most of the known MMPs, the encoded protein is able to promote cell proliferation in a wide range of cell types, and may also have an anti-apoptotic function. Increased expression of TIMP-1 has been found to be associated with worse prognosis of various tumors, such as laryngeal carcinoma or melanoma.