TIMP1 and cancer: TIMP-1 is an inhibitor of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that can promote tumor cell invasion via its proteolytic enzymes for extracellular matrix degradation [61], and TIMP-1 can also lead to increased cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in prostate and colon cancer tissues and therefore facilitate cancer progression by ERK1/2 kinase activation [62].