Biocell collagen
Biocell collagen

Background

BioCell Collagen is a commercially available dietary supplement and branded ingredient comprised of a specific mixture of hydrolyzed collagen type II, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid. BioCell Collagen is marketed as a nutritional support product for skin and joint health (28680,28681,28682,96301).

People use this for...

Orally, BioCell Collagen is used for aging skin, exercise-induced joint and muscle pain, osteoarthritis, and wrinkled skin.
Topically, BioCell Collagen is used for aging skin, dry skin, and wrinkled skin.

Likely Safe ...when used orally and appropriately. Doses of 2 grams per day or less can be safely used by most people (28678,28680,28681,28682,96301). There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of BioCell Collagen when applied topically.

Pregnancy And Lactation: Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE

Osteoarthritis. Clinical research shows that taking BioCell Collagen 1 gram twice daily for up to 10 weeks reduces pain and the need for rescue pain medication and increases physical activity compared to placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, or hand (28678,28680).

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE TO RATE

Aging skin. Preliminary clinical research shows that taking BioCell Collagen 500 mg twice daily for 12 weeks improves some measures of skin dryness, as well as scaling and lines and wrinkles, when compared to baseline in healthy females with visible signs of aging skin (28681).

Exercise-induced muscle damage. Preliminary clinical research shows that taking BioCell Collagen 1.5 grams twice daily for 6 weeks prior to two bouts of intense resistance exercise attenuates increases in biomarkers of muscle damage and decreases delayed onset muscle soreness compared to placebo in healthy, recreationally active adults (96301). More evidence is needed to rate BioCell Collagen for these uses.

Natural Medicines rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.

Dosing & administration

  • AdultOral:

    Exercise-induced muscle damage BioCell Collagen (BioCell Technology) 1.5 grams twice daily for 6 weeks has been used (96301).

    Osteoarthritis BioCell Collagen 1 gram twice daily for up to 10 weeks has been used (28678,28680).

    Skin aging BioCell Collagen 500 mg twice daily for 12 weeks has been used (28681).

  • Standardization & formulationEach 500 mg of BioCell Collagen, which is sourced from chicken sternum collagen includes hydrolyzed collagen type II 300 mg, hyaluronic acid 50 mg, and chondroitin sulfate 100 mg (28680,28681,28682,96301). The remaining 50 mg is uncharacterized sternal cartilage components (28680,28681,96301).

Adverse effects

General: Orally, BioCell Collagen is generally well tolerated (28678,28680,28681). One case of a mild skin rash has been reported for a patient taking BioCell Collagen orally (28680).

Dermatologic: A case of a mild skin rash has been reported for a patient who used oral BioCell Collagen (28680).

Toxicology

  • In animals, acute administration of BioCell Collagen 5000 mg/kg of body weight given as a single dose does not appear to induce mortality or cause gross pathological lesions, nor does it appear to negatively affect weight gain over the subsequent 14 days (28679). Subchronic administration of BioCell Collagen 0, 30, 300, or 1000 mg/kg of body weight given daily for 90 days does not appear to affect body weight, histopathological outcomes, or mortality (28679).

Interactions with pharmaceuticals

None known.

Interactions with herbs & supplements

None known.

Interactions with foods

None known.

Interactions with lab tests

None known.

Interactions with diseases

None known.

Mechanism of action

General: BioCell Collagen is composed of hydrolyzed collagen type II, hyaluronic acid, and chondroitin sulfate (28680,28681,28682).

Dermatologic effects: Skin aging is attributed several molecular processes, including decreased collagen production in dermal fibroblasts and reduced production and integrity of hyaluronic acid. BioCell Collagen contains hydrolyzed collagen type II. In vitro evidence shows that hydrolyzed collagen can stimulate the production of type II collagen and proteoglycans in chondrocytes (28681). Also, BioCell Collagen is metabolized to various dipeptides. In vitro evidence shows that dipeptides can stimulate fibroblasts and chondrocytes to synthesize hyaluronic acid, which helps retain water in both the skin and synovial fluid (28681). Furthermore, evidence from animal research suggests that hydrolyzed collagen can prevent ultraviolet-induced skin damage by increasing the number of fibroblasts and the density and thickness of collagen fibrils in the skin (28681).

Musculoskeletal effects: In humans, after resistance-exercise, BioCell Collagen might enhance extracellular matrix remodeling and musculoskeletal tissues (96301).

Pharmacokinetics

There is insufficient reliable information available about the pharmacokinetics of BioCell Collagen.

References

28678Kalman DS, Schwartz HI, Pachon J, Sheldon E, Almada AL. A randomized double blind clinical pilot trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of hydrolyzed collagen type II in adults with osteoarthritis. FASEB Experimental Biology 2004 Abstracts, Washington DC, April 17-21, 2004; A90.
28680Schauss AG, Stenehjem J, Park J, Endres JR, Clewell A. Effect of the novel low molecular weight hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract, BioCell Collagen, on improving osteoarthritis-related symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Agric Food Chem. 2012;60(16):4096-4101. View abstract.
28681Schwartz SR, Park J. Ingestion of BioCell Collagen, a novel hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract; enhanced blood microcirculation and reduced facial aging signs. Clin Interv Aging. 2012;7:267-273. View abstract.
28682Licensed Natural Health Products Database. Health Canada. http://webprod5.hc-sc.gc.ca/lnhpd-bdpsnh/info.do?licence=80034311&lang=eng. Updated February 27, 2014. Accessed January 15, 2015.
96301Lopez HL, Ziegenfuss TN, Park J. Evaluation of the Effects of BioCell Collagen, a Novel Cartilage Extract, on Connective Tissue Support and Functional Recovery From Exercise. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2015;14(3):30-8. View abstract.
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This monograph was last reviewed on 12/03/2020 18:06:37. Monographs are reviewed and/or updated multiple times per month and at least once per year.
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