Collagen and Health

Collagen and Health

Since the 1970s, scientific researchers have been studying collagen hydrolysate, the main ingredient in Pro Active collagen and its effects on cartilage metabolism. Recent laboratory findings, practical medical experience, and clinical studies have confirmed that collagen accumulates in joints and supports cartilage regeneration.1 It is this unique effect on cartilage metabolism that offers physicians a breakthrough approach to promoting joint health.

Collagen is the most frequently occurring protein in mammals. Its biosynthesis occurs through a number of intracellular intermediates. The typical fibrils of collagen are formed in the extra cellular space; these are cross-linked by covalent bonds and provide the collagen with its characteristic tensile strength. Pro Active collagen is produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of collagenous tissue from raw material.

The Potential of Collagen in Cartilage Regeneration

Collagen, is a vital component of normal Extra Cellular Matrix. The ECM is composed primarily of water, collagen (which provides strength and cushioning), and proteoglycans (which ensure compression strength). Maintaining normal collagen levels in bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and joint tissues is vital to maintaining joint health. When the natural regeneration process can’t keep up with daily wear and tear, overexertion, or extra weight, joint cartilage can break down.

As cartilage is lost, there is less cushioning, fissuring, and development of osteophytes, resulting in increased stiffness and loss of flexibility and a gradual increase in discomfort.

Unlike nearly every other tissue in the human body, cartilage does not contain blood vessels or nerves, which makes it slow to heal or grow.2 However, cartilage is an active, growing tissue that needs continuous regeneration to provide the protection and strength joints require to perform without stiffness and maintain their flexibility.

Collagen and Health

Pro Active collagen is the only product with a U.S. patent (pending) for cartilage regeneration. It is also the only product proven to stimulate specialized cells called chondrocytes, which are responsible for the metabolic maintenance of the ECM.1 Chondrocytes control the rate of cartilage regeneration in joints and detect changes in the composition of the cartilage. They respond to these changes by growing more cartilage. Studies have shown that the collagen used in Pro Active collagen increases the concentration of collagen and proteoglycans through this stimulatory effect on chondrocytes.

Cartilage Metabolism
Joint cartilage consists of chondrocytes and an extra cellular matrix (ECM), the latter being of particular physiological significance.1 The ECM of joint cartilage comprises two classes of macromolecules: collagen (type II collagen fibrils) forms the structure of the ECM and provides it with its tensile and sheer strength; and proteoglycans (such as aggrecans), which are responsible for the compressive strength and elasticity of the tissue.

Cartilage, like bone, is subject to continuous regeneration during which anabolic and catabolic processes are in equilibrium.1,2 Any imbalance in this equilibrium between matrix degeneration and regeneration results in a decrease in the components of the ECM, such as type II collagen, and ultimately leads to loss of cartilage. Apart from the lysosomal proteases (cathepsins), which have a direct pericellular effect within the cartilage cell, there are numerous matrix metalloproteases (such as collagenase, stromelysin, and aggrecanase), which, at neutral pH, can degrade all the cartilage building blocks. According to current scientific understanding, the activity of these components is controlled by the cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1).