collagen

American  

[kol-uh-juhn] / ˈkɒl ə dʒən /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of a class of extracellular proteins abundant in higher animals, especially in the skin, bone, cartilage, tendon, and teeth, forming strong insoluble fibers and serving as connective tissue between cells, yielding gelatin when denatured by boiling.

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collagen British  

/ ˈkɒlədʒən, ˌkɒləˈdʒɛnɪk, kəˈlædʒənəs /

noun

1. a fibrous scleroprotein of connective tissue and bones that is rich in glycine and proline and yields gelatine on boiling

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collagen Scientific  

/ kŏl′ə-jən /

1. Any of various tough, fibrous proteins found in bone, cartilage, skin, and other connective tissue. Collagens have great tensile strength, and provide these body structures with the ability to withstand forces that stretch them. Collagens consist of three polypeptide chains arranged in a triple helix, and are bundled together in fibers. When boiled in water, collagen is converted into gelatin.

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Other Word Forms

• collagenic adjective
• collagenous adjective

Etymology

Origin of collagen

First recorded in 1860–65; from Greek kólla “glue” + -gen

Example Sentences

Further analysis showed reduced activity in genes linked to fibrosis, including those involved in collagen production, in the livers of treated mice.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026

Treated mice had lower levels of collagen, a major component of scar tissue, than untreated mice or those that underwent a sham procedure in which the intestine was cut and reconnected without removing tissue.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026

There are several types of supplements people can take, including marine, bovine and vegan collagen.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

Around the menopause, when women stop having periods, skin loses even more collagen - about a third, say the researchers who have published their findings in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

For over a week I pored over electron micrographs of muscle and collagen fibers, looking for hints of helices.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson