Fixing broken eye collagen with special peptides
Collagen Mimetic Peptides Promote Repair of MMP-1-Damaged Collagen in the Rodent Sclera and Optic Nerve Head
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists tested if special peptides can fix damaged eye collagen in rats. They used a machine to measure stiffness. Results: damaging collagen made eyes softer, but the peptides helped make them stiffer again.
Surprising Findings
Saline (vehicle) made sclera 26% softer after MMP-1 damage
Saline is typically a neutral control, but here it accelerated tissue softening—contradicting expectations of inert treatment effects.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid generic collagen supplements for eye health—research specific peptide-based treatments instead
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists tested if special peptides can fix damaged eye collagen in rats. They used a machine to measure stiffness. Results: damaging collagen made eyes softer, but the peptides helped make them stiffer again.
Surprising Findings
Saline (vehicle) made sclera 26% softer after MMP-1 damage
Saline is typically a neutral control, but here it accelerated tissue softening—contradicting expectations of inert treatment effects.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid generic collagen supplements for eye health—research specific peptide-based treatments instead
Publication
Journal
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Year
2023
Authors
Ghazi O. Bou Ghanem, Dmitry Koktysh, R. Baratta, Brian J. Del Buono, E. Schlumpf, L. K. Wareham, David J. Calkins
Related Content
Claims (9)
Collagen peptides specifically stimulate cellular repair mechanisms in ligaments, cartilage, and soft tissues, which is not observed with standard amino acid mixtures.
When rats' eye tissue was treated with an enzyme that breaks down collagen, the stiffness of the outer part of the eye decreased by almost 40% compared to normal.
After damaging the eye tissue with collagen-breaking enzymes, applying a special peptide helped restore some stiffness, increasing it by about 23% compared to the damaged state.
After damaging the eye tissue with enzymes, adding a saline solution (vehicle) made the stiffness drop even more by about 26% compared to the damaged state.
In the inner part of the eye's optic nerve head, collagen-breaking enzymes caused a 57% drop in stiffness compared to normal.