A Biomimetic of Endogenous Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases: Inhibition Mechanism and Contribution of Composition, Polymer Size, and Shape to the Inhibitory Effect

A biomimetic of endogenous tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) was engineered by introducing three binding elements to a synthetic tetrapolymer. We evaluated the contribution of composition, size, and shape of the TIMP-mimicking polymers to the inhibition of BaP1, a P-I class snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP). Inhibition was achieved when the size of the linear polymer (LP) was comparable to or greater than that of the enzyme, indicating the efficacy requires binding to a significant portion of the enzyme surface in the vicinity of the active site. The efficacy of a low cross-linked polymer hydrogel nanoparticle (NP) of substantially greater molecular weight was comparable to that of the LPs despite differences in size and shape, an important finding for in vivo applications. The abiotic TIMP was effective against two classes of SVMPs in whole snake venom. The results can serve as a design principle for biomimetic polymer inhibitors of enzymes.