Daily collagen supplementation may protect against cartilage loss for joint health, rodent study suggests

The researchers, funded by manufacturer Rousselot BVBA​​, found that in 12 weeks, mice supplemented daily with a higher dose of collagen before the operation to simulate osteoarthritis lost significantly less cartilage than lower-dose supplemented mice.

These results put collagen side-by-side with other nutraceutical ingredients like chondroitin and glucosamine as a non-drug preventive solution for osteoarthritis.

But researchers in this current study argued that results have been mixed, and as the global medical bill for lower extremity osteoarthritis exceeds $350bn annually​​, “​the development of therapeutic strategies that offer protective and / or regenerative capability is a critical unmet need and central pursuit in the osteoarthritis field,”​ they wrote in their study​​, published in the journal PLOS ONE​.

Study design and supplementation​

To investigate the hypothesised joint-protective impact of long-term collagen use, mice were supplemented with the collagen for a one-month pre-treatment period, followed by a meniscal-ligamentous injury to simulate post-traumatic osteoarthritis on the left leg, and a sham ‘operation’ on the right as control (where no joints were manipulated).

The supplementation, Rousselot’s bovine-origin hydrolysed type 1 collagen, branded Peptan B2000, was incorporated into hazelnut and chocolate cream (Nutella) for the mice to eat. Two doses were selected, a low dose (3.8mg) and a high dose (38mg) — the high dose was the body weight-adjusted mouse equivalent to the 7.4g/day recommended human dose.

‘​Mice administered hydrolysed type 1 collagenn were chondroprotected’​

While there were no discernable cartilage effects in the sham / normal joints, at early and later time points in the development of osteoarthritis, mice administered Peptan were chondroprotected, particularly at 12 weeks post-injury, the researchers found.

“Overall, these results provide the first indication that dietary supplementation with (hydrolyzed type 1 collagen) could be protective in the development and progression of post-traumatic osteoarthritis,”​ the researchers wrote.

Source: PLOS Journal​

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0174705​

"Daily oral consumption of hydrolyzed type 1 collagen is chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory in murine posttraumatic osteoarthritis​"​​

Authors: Qurratul-Ain Dar, et al