1. WHAT IS COLLAGEN? COLLAGEN COMES FROM THE GREEK WORD FOR �PRODUCTION OF GLUE.� COLLAGEN IS THE MAIN STRUCTURAL PROTEIN OF VARIOUS CONNECTIVE TISSUES AND BODY PARTS IN ANIMALS AND HUMANS. THESE INCLUDE KEY ORGANS INCLUDING EYE LENS, ARTERY WALLS, BONE AND INTESTINE. COLLAGEN IS PROTEIN CHAINS BOUND IN A TIGHT TRIPLE HELIX, AND HAS A GREAT TENSILE STRENGTH. AN EXACT MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF COLLAGEN HAS BEEN SEARCHED FOR BY RENOWNED SCIENTISTS FOR A VERY LONG TIME. TOTAL OF 28 TYPES OF COLLAGEN HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND DESCRIBED SO FAR, EACH EXPRESSED BY UNIQUE GENE, AND EACH PLAYING IMPORTANT ROLE IN OUR BODY. EXAMPLES OF COLLAGEN TYPES ARE: - TYPE I: MOST ABUNDANT COLLAGEN IN THE BODY. IT IS FOUND IN: SKIN, TENDON, VASCULAR LIGATURE, ORGANS, BONE, TEETH, ARTERY WALLS AND MANY MORE. - TYPE II: MAKES UP FOR 50% OF ALL CARTILAGE PROTEIN. ALSO FOUND IN SPACE BETWEEN LENS AND RETINA OF EYE. - TYPE III: TISSUE THAT FORM ON THE WOUND SURFACE. ALSO FOUND IN ARTERY WALL, SKINS, INTESTINE AND UTERUS. - TYPE IV: FOUND IN EYE LENS, CAPILLARIES AND NEPHRON IN KIDNEY. COLLAGEN GIVES STRUCTURE TO KEY ORGANS INCLUDING EYE LENS, ARTERY WALL, BONE AND INTESTINE. GENETIC DEFECT OR MUTATION OF COLLAGEN LEADS TO MANY ADVERSE MEDICAL CONDITIONS. THESE INCLUDE OSTEOGENESIS CAUSED BY COLLAGEN TYPE I RESULTING IN WEAK BONE 2. JOINT STRUCTURE COLLAGEN TYPE % OF DRY WEIGHT LIGAMENT COLLAGEN TYPE I 70% TENDON COLLAGEN TYPE I 86% CARTILAGE COLLAGEN TYPE II 60% THE EASIEST DESCRIPTION OF JOINT IS "THE MEETING PLACE OF TWO OR MORE BONES." OUR BODY IS MADE OF RIGID BONES. JOINT CONNECTS BONES TOGETHER, PROVIDING MECHANICAL SUPPORT AND ALLOWING MOVEMENT SUCH WAS WALKING, RUNNING, AND MOVING. WITHOUT JOINT, EVERY STEP WE TAKE WOULD BE EXTREMELY PAINFUL DUE TO BONES COLLIDING INTO EACH OTHER, AND CAUSING FRICTION. JOINT COMPLEX MADE OF BONES, MUSCLES, CARTILAGE, TENDONS LIGAMENTS AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE HARMONIZE FOR JOINT FUNCTION, LACK OF ONE OF WHICH JEOPARDIZES WHOLE JOINT HEALTH. MUSCLES KEEP THE BONE IN PLACE AND ALSO THROUGH EXTRACTION OR EXTENSION HELP MOVE THE BONES. CARTILAGE IS A MATERIAL THAT COVERS THE END OF BONES IN NORMAL JOINT. ITS MAIN FUNCTION IS TO REDUCE FRICTION IN THE JOINT AND SERVE AS A �SHOCK ABSORBER.� ABOUT 60% OF DRY WEIGHT OF CARTILAGE IS COLLAGEN TYPE II WHICH PROVIDES STRENGTH TO CARTILAGE. TENDON IS A BAND OF FIBROUS CONNECTIVE TISSUE THAT CONNECTS MUSCLE TO BONES. NORMAL HEALTHY TENDONS ARE ARRAY OF COLLAGEN FIBERS HELD TOGETHER. 86% OF DRY WEIGHT OF TENDON IS COLLAGEN TYPE I. LIGAMENTS CONNECT ONE BONE TO ANOTHER. SIMILAR TO TENDONS, LIGAMENTS ARE BAND OF FIBROUS CONNECTIVE TISSUES CONSISTING OF COLLAGEN FIBERS. 70% OF DRY WEIGHT OF LIGAMENTS IS COLLAGEN TYPE I. BONES CONSIST OF COLLAGEN FIBERS AND INORGANIC BONE MATERIAL. 6-70% OF BONE�S TOTAL DRY MASS, MOST OF WHICH IS COLLAGEN FIBER. CAUTION AND WARNING CONSULT A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER PRIOR TO USE IF YOU ARE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING. IF YOU HAVE LIVER OR KIDNEY DISEASE OR IF YOU HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW A LOW PROTEIN DIET, CONSULT A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER PRIOR TO USE. WEI W, ZHANG LL, XU JH, XIAO F, BAO CD, NI LQ, LI XF, WU YQ, SUN LY, ZHANG RH, SUN BL, XU SQ, LIU S, ZHANG W, SHEN J, LIU HX, WANG RC. A MULTICENTER, DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PHASE III CLINICAL TRIAL OF CHICKEN TYPE II COLLAGEN IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. ARTHRITIS RES THER. 2009;11(6):R180. SCHAUSS AG, MERKEL DJ, GLAZA SM, SORENSON SR. ACUTE AND SUBCHRONIC ORAL TOXICITY STUDIES IN RATS OF A HYDROLYZED CHICKEN STERNAL CARTILAGE PREPARATION. FOOD AND CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY 2007;45(2):315-21. ZHAO W, TONG T, WANG L, LI PP, CHANG Y, ZHANG LL, WEI W. CHICKEN TYPE II COLLAGEN INDUCED IMMUNE TOLERANCE OF MESENTERIC LYMPH NODE LYMPHOCYTES BY ENHANCING BETA2-ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR DESENSITIZATION IN RATS WITH COLLAGEN-INDUCED ARTHRITIS. INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY 2011;11(1):12-8. SCHAUSS AG, STENEHJEM J, PARK J, ENDRES JR, CLEWELL A. EFFECT OF THE NOVEL LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYDROLYZED CHICKEN STERNAL CARTILAGE EXTRACT, BIOCELL COLLAGEN, ON IMPROVING OSTEOARTHRITIS-RELATED SYMPTOMS: A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL. J AGRIC FOOD CHEM. 2012 APR 25;60(16):4096-101 ASGHAR A, HENRICKSON RL. CHEMICAL, BIOCHEMICAL, FUNCTIONAL, AND NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLAGEN IN FOOD SYSTEMS. ADVANCES IN FOOD RESEARCH 1982;28:231-372. BAZIWANE D, HE Q. GELATIN: THE PARAMOUNT FOOD ADDITIVE. FOOD REVIEWS INTERNATIONAL 2003;19(4):423-435. BENITO-RUIZ P, CAMACHO-ZAMBRANO MM, CARRILLO-ARCENTALES JN, MESTANZA-PERALTA MA, VALLEJO-FLORES CA, VARGAS-L�PEZ SV, VILLAC�S-TAMAYO RA, ZURITA-GAVILANES LA. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ON THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF A FOOD INGREDIENT, COLLAGEN HYDROLYSATE, FOR IMPROVING JOINT COMFORT. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCES AND NUTRITION 2009;60 SUPPL 2:99-113. BP 2012: BRITISH PHARMACOPOEIA 2012. VOLUME I. LONDON (GB): THE STATIONARY OFFICE ON BEHALF OF THE MEDICINES AND HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS REGULATORY AGENCY (MHRA); 2012. BRUY�RE O, ZEGELS B, LEONORI L. RABENDA V, JANSSEN A, BOURGES C, REGINSTER JY. EFFECT OF COLLAGEN HYDROLYSATE IN ARTICULAR PAIN: A 6-MONTH RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO CONTROLLED STUDY. COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES IN MEDICINE 2012;20:124-130. This page is not intended to be a comprehensive review of the medicinal ingredient.