Targeting Collagen-Related Therapy

Dear Colleagues,

Collagens are the most abundant components of the extracellular matrix. There are 29 types of collagens and 44 collagen genes. Collagens are secreted and interact with both epithelial and mesenchymal cells/tissues.

Their use in pharmacology has started before understanding the profound complexity of their biochemical functions. Despite this limited knowledge, the global market of collagen can be measured in USD billions, since collagens are a versatile biomaterial with various pharmacological applications. Collagens are a key component of therapeutic interventions. They play a central role in tissue repair or engineering. Drugs are often employed in combination with collagen scaffolds to enhance tissue regeneration. The use of collagen-based dressings and wound care products are widely used in the management of wounds. A controversial branch of this field is the relevance of collagens as a common ingredient in cosmeceutical products, both locally and orally administered.

However, collagens are already playing other roles in pharmacology, particularly in the development of drug delivery systems as drugs and even as potential targets. Synthetic peptides designed to mimic specific collagen sequences or structural motifs have shown potential in applications as drug delivery systems. Additionally, some peptides of collagen display anti-tumorigenic or anti-angiogenic properties, while others induce tumor progression.

Thus, this Special Issue will discuss recent advances in the use of collagens in therapy and their different applications, including as scaffolds for tissue repair, drug delivery systems, drugs and therapeutic targets.

Dr. Fernando Revert
Guest Editor

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• collagen
• extracellular matrix
• molecular target
• tissue engineering
• drug deliver