Screening of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors by microanalysis with fluorescence detection

Capillary electrophoresis has emerged as a small-scale analytical tool for enzyme assays. It is not only used to analyze and follow-up enzymatic reactions in an offline mode, but the reaction can also be performed online, inside the capillary, where the reaction products are formed and analyzed. In this way, an integrated setup is obtained which allows a higher degree of automation and miniaturization in analytical systems. This chapter presents an electrophoretically mediated microanalysis for in vitro characterization and screening of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors.