Efficacy of UC-II® Undenatured Type II Collagen on Knee Joint Function in Healthy Subjects: an Exploratory Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial

BackgroundUC-II® is a unique joint health ingredient derived from chicken sternum. In a previous study, UC-II® improved knee extension range of motion and extend exercise time before the onset of knee pain in healthy participants. MethodsThe current exploratory post hoc analyses sought to assess items from the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) in healthy participants aged ≥50 years who previously participated in a randomized controlled trial. All participants reported knee pain following a standardized stepmill test and were randomized to receive placebo or 40 mg UC-II® supplementation containing ≥ 3% (≥ 1.2 mg) undenatured type II collagen for 120 days. For the current post hoc analyses, 17 participants (UC-II® = 9, placebo = 8) met the acceptance criteria (age ≥ 50 years). Analysis was carried out for the KOOS survey results with modified intent-to-treat analysis (mITT). P-values ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. ResultsAfter 120 days of supplementation, participants in the UC-II® supplementation group exhibited statistically significant improvements versus the placebo in select KOOS items including reduced pain during standing upright and going up or down stairs, decreased discomfort in climbing ascending stairs or bending to floor to pick an object, or squatting during physical activity (p<0.05). ConclusionUC-II® supplementation has the potential to improve knee joint function, mobility, flexibility, free movements and performance of daily activities in healthy participants ≥ 50 years old with exercise-induced knee pain.

Undenatured Type II Collagen Relieves Bone Impairment through Improving Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Ageing db/db Mice

Ageing-related bone impairment due to exposure to hyperglycemic environment is scarcely researched. The aim was to confirm the improvement effects of undenatured type II collagen (UC II) on bone impairment in ageing db/db mice, and the ageing model was established by normal feeding for 48-week-old. Then, the ageing db/db mice were randomly assigned to UC II intervention, the ageing model, and the chondroitin sulfate + glucosamine hydrochloride control groups. After 12 weeks of treatment, femoral microarchitecture and biomechanical parameters were observed, biomarkers including bone metabolism, inflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress were measured, and the gastrocnemius function and expressions of interleukin (IL) 1β, receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)-κB ligand (RANKL), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) were analyzed. The results showed that the mice in the UC II intervention group showed significantly superior bone and gastrocnemius properties than those in the ageing model group, including bone mineral density (287.65 ± 72.77 vs. 186.97 ± 32.2 mg/cm3), gastrocnemius index (0.46 ± 0.07 vs. 0.18 ± 0.01%), muscle fiber diameter (0.0415 ± 0.005 vs. 0.0330 ± 0.002 mm), and cross-sectional area (0.0011 ± 0.00007 vs. 0.00038 ± 0.00004 mm2). The UC II intervention elevated bone mineralization and formation and decreased bone resorption, inflammatory cytokines, and the oxidative stress. In addition, lower protein expression of IL-1β, RANKL, and TRAP in the UC II intervention group was observed. These findings suggested that UC II improved bones impaired by T2DM during ageing, and the likely mechanism was partly due to inhibition of inflammation and oxidative stress.

Niacinamide and undenatured type II collagen modulates the inflammatory response in rats with monoiodoacetate-induced osteoarthritis

The current work aimed to examine the properties of oral supplementation of niacinamide and undenatured type II collagen (UCII) on the inflammation and joint pain behavior of rats with osteoarthritis (OA). Forty-nine Wistar rats were allocated into seven groups; control (no MIA), MIA as a non-supplemental group with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced knee osteoarthritis, MIA + undenatured type II collagen (UCII) at 4 mg/kg BW, MIA + Niacinamide at 40 mg/kg BW (NA40), MIA + Niacinamide at 200 mg/kg BW (NA200), MIA + UCII + NA40 and MIA + UCII + NA200. Serum IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF-α, COMP, and CRP increased in rats with OA and decreased in UCII and NA groups (p < 0.05). Rats with osteoarthritis had greater serum MDA and knee joint MMP-3, NF-κB, and TGβ protein levels and decreased in treated groups with UCII and NA (p < 0.05). The rats with OA also bore elevated joint diameters with joint pain behavior measured as decreased the stride lengths, the paw areas, and the paw widths, and increased the Kellgren-Lawrence and the Mankin scores (p < 0.05) and decreased in UCII treated groups. These results suggest the combinations with the UCII + NA supplementation as being most effective and reduce the inflammation responses for most OA symptoms in rats.

Role of undenatured collagen type II and Aflapin combination in the management of osteoarthritis: a review

<p class="abstract">Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease affecting millions worldwide. Osteoarthritis typically affects the knees, hands, hips, and feet. It is characterized by complex pathologic changes in cartilage which haven’t been fully elucidated yet. However, recent research has shown the involvement of two contributing pathways namely the mechanical and the immune pathways which interlink to cause cartilage destruction. Patients with OA on current treatment options still inevitably progress to a more severe stage becoming candidates for total joint replacement. The cornerstones of OA management in the early stage include exercises, weight loss, education—complemented by topical or oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and nutraceuticals like Undenatured type II collagen and Aflapin. Both Undenatured type II collagen and Aflapin offer great promise in OA management by targeting both the immune and mechanical pathways respectively. Undenatured type II collagen works by oral tolerization turning off the immune response in the inflammatory damage (T cell response) against endogenous Type II collagen in the cartilage thus reducing joint inflammation and degradation and stimulates anti-inflammatory cytokine release. Aflapin inhibits 5-LOX and exerts anti-inflammatory action thus providing symptomatic relief of pain and inflammation. This review focusses on the role of mechanical and immune pathways in the pathogenesis of OA and the impact of the combination of Undenatured type-II collagen and Aflapin in targeting these pathways thus improving the clinical outcomes.</p>

Recovery of Undenatured Collagen Type II from Different Prototypes of Food and Beverages Using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

Objectives According to a new report in 2020, the global functional food market size is projected to reach USD 275.77 billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 7.9%. One of the major growth drivers for this includes increasing demand for nutritional and fortifying food additives. Undenatured type II collagen (UC-II®) is a dietary ingredient derived from chicken sternum and has been shown to improve joint health. The development of undenatured type II collagen in different food and beverage (F&B) products is gaining momentum. The objective of this study was to assess the compatibility and recovery of undenatured type II collagen from different prototypes of F&B. Methods A specific ELISA test that detects the presence of native type II collagen was used to measure undenatured type II collagen content. Results Results showed the recovery of undenatured type II collagen from the F&B matrices varied depending on the pH, pressure, humidity and processing temperature. Highest recovery was seen from F&B prototype of nutritional bars (∼100%), chews (98%), gummies (96%), and dairy beverage (81%). Conclusions In summary, the results from this study shows that UC-II® is able to withstand the processing conditions used for manufacturing F&B products. The applicability of this findings will allow UC-II® to be incorporated into different functional foods thereby helping the consumers to improve their joint mobility, flexibility and comfort. Funding Sources Lonza Consumer Health Ingredients Inc.

Undenatured type II collagen mitigates inflammation and cartilage degeneration in healthy Labrador Retrievers during an exercise regimen

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of undenatured type II collagen supplementation on inflammation and cartilage degeneration after exercise in healthy dogs. Forty healthy Labrador Retrievers (20 male/20 female; Range 5-12yrs; Avg 8yrs) were sorted into two groups: undenatured type II collagen group receiving 40mg UC-II (10mg Collagen Type II/Min. 3% Undenatured Type II Collagen; Lonza Consumer Health, Inc.) and placebo group receiving 40mg maltodextrin daily by capsule. After 2-weeks loading, all dogs began an 11-week endurance exercise regimen consisting of two weekly runs, starting at 5km and increasing incrementally to 8km, with one final 16km run. Blood samples were collected at baseline, pre and post first 5km run, and pre and post 16km run. Activity per kilometer was greater in male undenatured type II collagen vs male placebo over all runs (P=0.004), and average moving speed was greater in all undenatured type II collagen dogs compared with placebo over all runs (P&lt;0.001). Hematology analysis indicated that during the first insult, undenatured type II collagen dogs had a greater lymphocyte count (P&lt;0.001) and lymphocyte percentage (P=0.001) vs placebo dogs. Undenatured type II collagen dogs had a lesser neutrophil percentage (P=0.042) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios (P=0.001) compared to placebo dogs. For the final insult, undenatured type II collagen dogs had greater lymphocyte percentage (P=0.013) and lesser mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (P=0.043) compared with placebo dogs. Both groups had significant changes between timepoints for several hematological parameters. Biomarker IL-6 was lesser in undenatured type II collagen dogs compared with placebo at post 5km (P=0.037). Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) was lesser in undenatured type II collagen dogs at post 16km (P=0.023), and only the placebo dogs had a significant increase in COMP from pre to post 16km (P=0.021). In summary, Labrador Retrievers supplemented with undenatured type II collagen had decreased inflammation and cartilage degeneration compared with non-supplemented dogs during exercise.