Amino Acids for Collagen

Collagen is the main component of animal connective tissue and the most abundant and widely distributed functional protein in mammals. It is the main component of the extracellular matrix and exists in all tissues and organs. It is widely distributed in tissues and organs such as skin tendons, blood vessels, ligaments, bones, cartilage and muscles. Collagen has a strong stretching ability and is the main component of ligaments and the main component of the extracellular matrix. It keeps the skin elastic, and the aging of collagen causes wrinkles on the skin. Collagen is also the main component of the cornea of the eye, but it is composed in a crystalline form.

What is Collagen?

Collagen is an endogenous protein that is primarily made up of specific combinations of amino acids. These amino acids usually include glycine, proline, and/or hydroxyproline. Glycine is an amino acid that is particularly abundant in collagen. Sometimes, the amino acid lysine is also used in the synthesis of collagen. While these amino acids are essential for the formation of collagen, any combination of 17 other amino acids can form collagen if added to the basic helical structure of the protein. It is estimated that collagen makes up 30% of all proteins in the body. The main role of collagen is to provide structural integrity to the spaces between connective tissue cells. It helps maintain the morphology of tissues and cells by filling the spaces between cells. Collagen also supports the mechanical integrity of the body and plays an active role in repairing damaged tissues.

Types of Collagen

The collagen superfamily includes 29 different types of proteins. Each type of collagen is found in a specific location in the body and helps support the tissue and structure of that area. Different types of collagen have different properties and may help tissues become stronger and more flexible, and may aid in smooth movement of joints. While 29 different types of collagen have been discovered, the most common types include type I, type II, and type III collagen.

• Type I Collagen

Type I collagen is the most abundant type of protein in the body, accounting for approximately 90% of all collagen in the body. Type I collagen is normally found in bones, connective tissue, skin, cornea, and tendons. Type I collagen plays an integral functional role in maintaining the integrity of skin, connective tissue, and bones.

• Type II Collagen

Type II collagen accounts for more than 90% of the collagen found in joint cartilage. Type II collagen is primarily found in articular cartilage or hyaline cartilage in joints and intervertebral discs. Hyaline cartilage is the most common type of cartilage in the human body. It wraps around the surface of joints and allows for smooth movement of the joints (sometimes called articular cartilage). Type II collagen is also primarily found in elastic cartilage. Elastic cartilage supports tissues and structures in the body that need to be flexible, bend or move, and quickly return to their original shape after the force that caused the deformation is removed.

• Type III Collagen

Type III collagen accounts for 5-20% of the collagen in the body. Type III collagen mainly maintains the structural integrity of hollow organs and tissues such as the intestines, uterus and blood vessels. Type III collagen is also present in the skin, but the amount gradually decreases with age. It is estimated that less than 20% of the collagen in adult skin is type III.

Collagen Amino Acids

Amino acids are organic compounds that contain an amino group (-NH2) and a carboxyl group (-COOH). There are twenty amino acids that make up proteins, and each has a unique side chain that gives it specific properties. Some amino acids are polar, some are nonpolar, some are acidic, and some are basic. In collagen, the most common amino acids are glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline.

• Glycine

Glycine is an essential amino acid. It is a building block of protein and is an amino acid that the human body cannot synthesize on its own and must be taken in through food. It is an important component for building muscle, bone, skin and other tissues. In addition, glycine is involved in energy metabolism in the body, helps maintain normal liver function, and plays an important role in the immune system. Glycine is the smallest amino acid and is essential to the structure of collagen. It is present in every three amino acids in the collagen molecule.

• Proline and Hydroxyproline

Proline is a cyclic imino acid and an important component of animal collagen. Plants often accumulate proline under various adverse conditions such as drought, high temperature, low temperature, and salinity. It is widely used in clinical, biomaterials, and industry. The structure of proline is unique because it is the only protein amino acid (the type that forms proteins through biosynthesis) with a secondary amine. Therefore, proline is important for stabilizing the three-dimensional structure of collagen. Hydroxyproline is a modified form of proline that is also important for the stability of collagen.

Collagen Amino Acid Sequence

The amino acid sequence of collagen is the specific arrangement of amino acids that determines the structure and function of the protein. Collagen is composed of three peptide chains that are intertwined to form a triple helix structure. The primary amino acid sequence of collagen is glycine-proline-X or glycine-X-hydroxyproline. Among them, X can be any of the other 17 amino acids (alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tyrosine and valine). Proline or hydroxyproline account for about 1/6 of the total sequence. Glycine (Gly) is present in almost every third residue, accounting for 1/3 of the sequence. This means that about half of the collagen sequence is glycine, proline, or hydroxyproline. Since glycine is the smallest of all amino acids, it allows the chain to form a compact configuration and can withstand pressure.

Amino Acids for Collagen Production

Amino acids are an essential component of producing recombinant collagen. By using recombinant DNA technology, researchers can insert genes encoding collagen into host organisms, such as bacteria or yeast, to produce collagen in a laboratory setting. The host organism then uses the amino acids present in its environment to synthesize collagen. These amino acids also play a vital role in determining the final structure and properties of the recombinant collagen. Different amino acids have unique chemical properties that can affect the stability, solubility, and functionality of the protein. For example, the presence of proline and glycine-rich sequences in collagen is essential for its triple helical structure. Therefore, the composition of amino acids in recombinant collagen must be carefully controlled to ensure that the protein retains its native structure and function.

Collagen Benefits

In human skin, about 75% of the protein is collagen. It plays an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation, tissue development, etc. Collagen is widely used in the fields of medicine and health such as burns, trauma, beauty, orthopedics, hard tissue repair, wound hemostasis, etc. due to its weak antigenicity and good biocompatibility. Therefore, collagen has multiple functions:

• Maintain Skin Elasticity

Collagen is commonly found in animal connective tissues and has good physical and chemical properties. It is the supporting tissue of the skin, which can keep the skin delicate, enhance elasticity and improve the water storage capacity of cells.

• Hydrating and Moisturizing

Collagen has a unique active triple helix structure. The triple helix mesh structure can bind many water molecules. The interaction between adjacent triple helices forms dense and regular collagen fibers. A large number of hydrophilic amino acids tightly adsorb a large number of water molecules to generate bound water, which can lock the water in the skin water storage layer and provide support for various skin cells.

• Repair Wounds

Collagen can maintain the structure of various tissues, promote the migration, differentiation and proliferation of various cells such as fibroblasts and endothelial cells, and repair tissues and organs.

• Reduce Scar Formation

Exogenous supplementation of type III collagen in the local flow of skin wounds inhibits abnormal tissue proliferation caused by excessive secretion of type I collagen, while connecting the skin fiber breaks caused by trauma and infection, inhibiting scar hyperplasia and accelerating skin healing.

• Preventing Pigmentation

Exogenous supplementation of type III collagen in the local flow of skin wounds inhibits abnormal tissue proliferation caused by excessive secretion of type I collagen, while connecting the skin fiber breaks caused by trauma and infection, inhibiting scar hyperplasia and accelerating skin healing. Collagen can compete with tyrosine in the skin through tyrosine residues and bind to the active center of tyrosinase, thereby inhibiting tyrosinase from catalyzing the conversion of tyrosine into dopamine, thus effectively preventing melanin deposition in the damaged skin area.

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