Development of fish collagen in tissue regeneration and drug delivery

Tissues rely on collagen for structural and biological integrity, as well as for function and strength. Several collagen sources have been investigated due to its wide variety of applications, such as collagen from cows and pigs. However, mammalian-based collagen has been limited by diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and other religious limitations. Hence, fish collagen has caught the attention of the research community because it is easy to extract, has a high level of collagen content, excellent absorption properties, a low molecular weight, biocompatibility, little risk of disease transmission from animals to humans, negligible environmental contamination, and fewer ethical and religious concerns, posing as an ideal resource for product development. This review focuses on the growing role of marine collagen in the advances of various biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, regeneration, and wound healing, which will be covered in depth.