| Collagen is the main protein found in the animal | | | | surgery and for burns surgery too. Though for those |
| connective tissue. As a matter of fact 40% of the | | | | with high rate of allergic reactions are not |
| protein in mammals is collagen. It is also one of the | | | | recommended due to prolonged redness of its |
| long fibrous structural proteins like the enzymes, quite | | | | effects. But it only happens to those sensitive to |
| tough and inextensible and makes the main | | | | collagen. Anyhow, collagen is great for construction |
| component of cartilage, ligaments, bone, teeth and | | | | of artificial skin substitutes like skin burns. The |
| tendons. For skin strength and elasticity, a good | | | | collagens may be either bovine or procine, used with |
| collagen along with keratin is required. As such | | | | a mixture of fibroblasts, growth factors, silicone and |
| degeneration of collagen resultant of old age means | | | | glycosaminoglycans. |
| wrinkles. Well collagen is also required for strong blood | | | | Collagen is commercially sold as a joint mobility |
| vessels as well as for tissue development. In fact | | | | supplement too. |
| collagen is increasingly used in burns surgery and | | | | Types of collagen: |
| cosmetic surgery. | | | | Presently there are twenty eight types of recognized |
| Its uses:o Industrial uses: When collagen is partly | | | | collagens. As a matter of fact collagen is found |
| hydrolyzed, it produces gelatin, which used in many | | | | throughout the body and in different forms. One of |
| foods. Though nutritionally both collagen and gelatin | | | | the most abundant one is the Type I collagen in the |
| lack protein quality, some of the collagen based | | | | scar tissue, found in organic part of the bone and |
| dietary supplements does improve quality of skin and | | | | tendons. Type IV collagen is present in eye lens, |
| finger nails. | | | | Type V in placenta, Type VI collagen in interstitial |
| Collagen is also great as glue. In fact the oldest glue | | | | tissue, Type IX collagen in cartilage etc. |
| ever used, dated some 8000 years back was | | | | Due to collagen defects, certain genetic defect also |
| collagen. Not only then were collagen applied to hold | | | | occurs like the osteogenesis imperfecta commonly |
| utensils but even now its still very useful for musical | | | | known as the brittle bone disease. Some other |
| instruments like the violin and guitars which has to be | | | | genetic diseases caused due to lack of collagen and |
| opened every now and then for repairs, and collagen | | | | linked to other diseases are Bethlam myopathy and |
| on reheating can be softened easily unlike the | | | | Ulrich myopathy caused by mutations, congenital |
| synthetic plastic adhesives which are permanent.o | | | | muscular dystrophies etc. |
| Medical uses: Collagen use is well known for cosmetic | | | | |