Overview

Collagen (KO-lah-jen) is the most abundant protein in the animal kingdom. Approximately one third of the protein in a mammal's body is collagen. It makes up a major portion of the connective tissue found in skin, joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and bones. Different types of collagen occur in different species. That is, the collagen found in humans is somewhat different from that found in cows, and both human and cow collagen differ from the collagen found in other animals, such as dogs and ats. Nonetheless, all forms of collagen have a common molecular structure that consists of three rope-like strands intertwined with each other. Each strand (called tropocollagen) is a polymer consisting of amino acids, the most common of which are glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. Collagens differ from each other in regard to the relative amounts of each amino acid present.

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