Collagen By: Naufal Ilham Arrafi

Grade: 11 Einstein

Subject: Biology

Description:

Collagen is a type of fibrous proteins. This protein made up of amino acid such as glycine, proline, hydroxiproline and arginine

Production:

Collagen is produced at the skin. Collagen works by plumping up the skin by making it firmer due to its fibrous and high stable structure. Collagen production can supported with collagen supplement, nutritious food such as vitamin, or doing regular exercise.

Function:

Collagen has functions according to different parts in human body. It involves in skin, bone, muscle and blood vessels. Collagen provide the structure to the skin and works hand in hand with another protein, called elastin to create skin flexibility. Collagen makes skin smoother and looks young and beautiful compared to the skin lack of collagen.

30 % of human bone is made up of organic materials and 95 % of it is composed by collagen. Collagen helps bone in strength and flexibility. In muscle, collagen fibers made up skeletal muscle fibers and smooth fibers such as bladder and reproductive system, as well as cardiac (heart).

Collagen is also helping in blood transportation such as building the walls of the vein, artilleries, and capillaries.

Malfunction:

Malfunction of collagen is due to weak collagen. There are many symptoms and diseases that indicates malfunction in collagen. When the collagen is weak, the vein valve is also getting weaker. The most common disease associated with collagen malfunction is collagen vascular disease or connective tissue disease. The examples of collagen vascular disease are: lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and temporal arteritis. Collagen cardiovascular disease is caused by immune system mistakenly attack body tissue. Collagen cardiovascular is indicated with several symptoms such as: fatigue, muscle weakness, fever, body aches, joint pain and skin rash.

Resources:

- Dr Ananya Mandal (8 September 2014) , What is Collagen, retrieved from:

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Collagen-What-is-Collagen.aspx

- Chris Sherwood (16 August 2013), Collagen functions, retrieved from:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/78360-collagen-functions/

- Erica Roth (28 August 2012), Collagen Vascular Disease, retrieved from:

http://www.healthline.com/health/collagen-vascular-disease#Symptoms3

- Maggie Hire (no date written), How Collagen work? retrieved from

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4673923_collagen-work.html