Incyclinide (COL-3) is a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor. Thereby causing extracellular matrix degradation, tumor growth and invasion, and inhibiting angiogenesis, and metastasis.

Incyclinide has been shown to experimentally suppress prostate cancer, colon adenocarcinoma, and melanoma invasiveness in cell culture. Adding incyclinide at final concentrations of 5 to 20 μM inhibits MT1-MMP gelatinolytic and caseinolytic activity, blocks MT1-MMPactivation of pro-MMP-2, and decreases invasiveness of HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells [1]. Most of the MICs of CMT-3 against filamentous fungi are found to be between 0.25 and 8 μg/mL, and the inhibition of viability of these fungi by incyclinide is routinely higher than 90% [2].

Probably by reducing the number of osteoclasts at the compression side, Incyclinide suppresses tooth movement in the rat. Reduced MMP activity by incyclinide might also directly inhibit degradation of the organic bone matrix. This might be due to the induction of apoptosis in activated osteoclasts or reduced osteoclast migration [3].