Effects of Pro-Hyp, a collagen hydrolysate-derived peptide, on hyaluronic acid synthesis using in vitro cultured synovium cells and oral ingestion of collagen hydrolysates in a guinea pig model of osteoarthritis.

Proline-hydroxyproline (Pro-Hyp) stimulated hyaluronic acid production in cultured synovium cells. It was detected in guinea pig blood after oral ingestion of collagen hydrolysates. Oral administration of collagen hydrolysates increased the amount of proteoglycans in the epiphyses. It also reduced the morphological changes associated with osteoarthritic cartilage destruction of the knee joint. The results suggest that collagen hydrolysates have therapeutic potential for treatment of osteoarthritis.