Did You Know?
Collagen is a fibrous structural protein present in the extracellular matrix and connective tissue of animals.Collagen comprises 25-30% of the protein content of the whole body especially in mammals. Collagen is formed mostly by the fibroblast of connective tissue & also by variety of other epithelial cells. Nearly 28 types of collagen have been identified so far which is composed of 46 distinct polypeptide chains. Among these the 5 most common ones are:
Whats unique?
Collagen I: Skin, bone ,teeth, tendon, ligament, organs (main constituent of the organic part of bone)
Collagen II: Eyes and cartilage (main constituent of cartilage).
Collagen III: Reticulate (main constituent of reticular fibers), skin, muscle, blood vessels.
Collagen IV: Forms the epithelium-secreted layer of the basement membrane and the basal lamina.
Collagen V: Hair, cell surfaces and placenta.
90% of the collagen in the body is of type I followed by type II and III. It supports most of the tissues in the form of extracellular matrix and gives structure to the cells. It provides protection to skin by inhibiting the absorption of toxins and pathogens.
Tales of the Past
The word collagen is derived from a Greek word where “kola” means gum and “gen” means producing.Soon after the discovery of the α helix and β sheet structures by Linus Pauling, there was a great flux of activity regarding the structure of collagen with a large number of people working on it and a number of conflicting models circulating in the field. More guesses on the structural models of collagen were made than on any other protein, and this was perhaps due to the more complex nature of collagen as compared to other fibrous proteins. It was into this state of affairs that Prof. G N Ramachandran entered the field propelled by a suggestion from Prof. J D Bernal during the latter's visit to Madras. Ramachandran took X-ray diffraction pictures of elastoidin (shark fin ray collagen) procured from the next-door Biochemistry Department of Madras University. Subsequently the neighbouring Central Leather Research Institute provided kangaroo tail tendon in abundance for X-ray diffraction analysis of collagen and thus played a crucial role in the proposal of the triple helical model. It is now acknowledged that the first correct model for the structure of collagen was provided by Ramachandran and Kartha.
Application in Different Health Categories
Bone and Joint Health, Hair and Skin Health, Cardiovascular Health, etc
Regulatory Status
FSSAI, FDA, Health Canada, EFSA, FSANZ approved
Different Dosage Formats
Capsules, tablets, cosmetics, drinks, powders, etc
References
1.Hongdong Song, Siqi Zhang,Ling Zhang,and Bo Li. Effect of Orally Administered Collagen Peptides from Bovine Bone on Skin Aging in Chronologically Aged Mice.Nutrients. 2017 Nov; 9(11): 1209.
2.Hongdong Song, Ling Zhang, Yongkang Luo,Siqi Zhang, and Bo Li. Effects of collagen peptides intake on skin ageing and platelet release in chronologically aged mice revealed by cytokine array analysis. J Cell Mol Med. 2018 Jan; 22(1): 277–288.
3.Qurratul-Ain Dar,Eric M. Schott, Sarah E. Catheline, Robert D. Maynard, Zhaoyang Liu, Fadia Kamal, Christopher W. Farnsworth, John P. Ketz, Robert A. Mooney,Matthew J. Hilton, Jennifer H. Jonason, Janne Prawitt, and Michael J. Zuscik. Daily oral consumption of hydrolyzed type 1 collagen is chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory in murine posttraumatic osteoarthritis. PLoS One. 2017; 12(4): e0174705.