Targeting inflammation with collagen

• Published in: Clinical and translational medicine Vol. 12; no. 5; pp. e831 - n/a
• Main Authors: Schwarz, Dennis, Lipoldová, Marie, Reinecke, Holger, Sohrabi, Yahya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.05.2022; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Arthritis; Biomarkers; Clinical medicine; Collagen; Conflicts of interest; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cytokines; Disease; ECM; Extracellular matrix; HIV; Homeostasis; Human immunodeficiency virus; Infections; Inflammation; Lungs; Lymphocytes; MMPs; Osteoarthritis; Pulmonary fibrosis; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; COVID-19; collagen; inflammation; ECM; MMPs
• ISSN: 2001-1326; 2001-1326
• DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.831

Tissue damage caused by an infection or an autoimmune disease triggers degradation of collagen in the extracellular matrix (ECM), which further enhances inflammation. Therefore, improving ECM in an inflamed tissue can be exploited as a potential therapeutic target. A recent study emphasised an innovative approach against COVID‐19 using polymerised type I collagen (PTIC) that improves disease severity through a hitherto unknown mechanism. In this paper, we provide an overview of potential mechanism that may explain the anti‐inflammatory effect of collagen peptides. In addition,the paper includes a brief summary of possible side effect of collagen deposition in inflammatory diseases. Altogether, current knowledge suggests that collagen may potentially reduce the residual risk in inflammatory diseases; however, the detailed mechanism remains elusive.