About 28 types of collagen have been identified, but the dominant collagen is collagen type I. Over 90% of the collagen in the human body is collagen type I because of its wide prevalence in almost all connective tissues.1 Collagen types I, II, and III are used for supplements. Collagen type I is mainly found in marine collagen. Collagen type II is from chicken collagen and bovine collagen. A mixture of collagen type I and type III can be obtained from porcine collagen and bovine collagen.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), collagen supplements originating from various sources such as marine, bovine, and porcine can improve skin integrity and lessen skin aging. They are effective in wrinkle reduction, skin rejuvenation, and skin aging reversal. Due to its high biocompatibility with the human body, collagen type I is the most used in beauty products. with collagen supplementation becoming prevalent in recent years.
Collagen of porcine and bovine origins come from cow and pig skins as well as their bones. Due to religious constraints concerning the avoidance of porcine and bovine products or other reasons such as the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), the marine collagen source is being highly considered by the industry as an important alternative. In fact, marine collagens have the advantages of being highly sustainable as they can be obtained from invertebrate marine animals, such as jellyfish as well as a wide range of fish species.
Why would some manufacturers prefer bovine collagen when there is a risk of transmitting disease? Mammalian collagens have higher thermal stability than fish collagens. Thermal stability is related to body temperature and the low thermal stability of marine collagens restricts its applications.2 The mechanical strength of marine collagen is poorer than collagen extracted from bovine because it is less crosslinked. Cross-linking is a simple method known to improve degradability, biological and mechanical properties of biomaterials by enhancing chemical and physical interactions between polymers.3 After the crosslinking treatment, marine collagen can be used as a biomaterial in tissue engineering. Despite some limitations, the marine collagen is an appealing option for product developers because of its sustainability and there being no risk of BSE. In the latest 20 years, more than 175 chemical entities and 28 marine natural products were discovered. Marine organisms, as well as their wastes, are good sources of collagen.4
Marine resources of collagen have many advantages over land animals and other sources. Not only are they available in abundance, have no religious constraints and are easily accessible, there have been few reported toxic effects at effective doses. This is significant as a major source of collagen is from cattle, which have a risk of transmitting highly dangerous BSE and TSE. In addition to its promising safety profile, the use of marine collagen is environmentally friendly. Fish skin, bones, and scales are vast sources of collagen. By using marine collagen, useful waste is reduced, and no further organisms are harmed in the isolation of collagen. Furthermore, collagen has a variety of applications in many fields, such as drug delivery, wound healing, skin aging, and tissue regeneration.5
Marine collagen can be used as a biomaterial because it is water soluble, metabolically compatible, and highly accessible. Marine collagen and its derivatives also have proven beneficial and useful for both osteoporosis and osteoarthritis prevention and treatment. Marine collagen bioactive peptides are known to aid in the absorption of calcium and zinc, which are important components of bone and are beneficial for osteoporosis prevention. Other bone-related issues may also be targeted by collagen, as it is capable of increasing bone mineral density, mineral deposition, and importantly, osteoblast maturation and proliferation.6
Because marine collagen peptides carry a smaller molecular weight, they are more easily absorbed. They are therefore favored to help reduce wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and enhance the overall structure and appearance of skin.7
Bovine collagen or marine collagen: the choice is yours.
1, 2, 4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8620403/
3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8902548/
5, 6, 7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8780088/
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