# The Fish Collagen Supplementation and Proteomic Features in Healthy Women—A Crossover Study

## TL;DR

This study explores how fish collagen supplementation affects serum proteins in healthy women, finding changes that suggest cellular adaptation.

## Contribution

The study provides novel proteomic insights into the effects of fish collagen supplementation in humans.

## Key findings

- Fish collagen supplementation led to changes in several serum proteins, including Filamin-A and actin.
- The observed proteomic changes suggest cytoskeletal remodeling and cellular adaptation.
- Collagen supplementation did not significantly affect nutritional status but increased water content.

## Abstract

Background: Using fish collagen supplements in daily nutrition may positively influence health and healthy aging. However, their systemic, molecular-level effects on humans are not well characterized. Therefore, given the scarcity of proteomic data, this study aimed to assess the serum proteomic changes during the fish collagen supplementation in healthy women. Methods: This was a crossover interventional study. Thirty healthy women received either 5 mL of fish gel collagen (from silver carp: Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) supplementation with 200 mL of pure water for 40 days or 200 mL of pure water for 40 days only. The washout between the fish collagen and pure water supplementation was 40 days. The nutritional status and dietary intake were assessed. Proteome analyses were conducted using a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer in a positive linear mode in the m/z 1000–10,000 range. Results: The diet of the women in this study was not well-balanced. Supplementation did not affect nutritional status. Only water content significantly increased. During the fish collagen supplementation, the following discriminative proteins were identified: Filamin-A, Filamin-B, actin, Vimentin, Tropomyosin beta chain, 40S ribosomal protein S8, ATP-dependent RNA helicase DHX8, and FERM domain-containing protein 4A. Conclusions: Changes in serum proteins may reflect broader cytoskeletal remodeling and cellular adaptation resulting from collagen intake.