Chapter 2 Biochemical Biomarkers of Oxidative Collagen Damage

Collagens are major constituents of connective tissues in the animal kingdom. During aging and inflammatory-related diseases, the collagen network undergoes oxidation that leads to structural and biochemical alterations within the collagen molecule. Collagen oxidation appears to be a key determinant of aging and a critical physiopathologic mechanism of numerous diseases. Further, the detection of oxidized-collagen peptides seems to be a promising approach for the diagnosis and the prognosis of inflammatory diseases. This chapter reviews the structural and biochemical changes to collagen induced by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and discusses recent data on the use of collagen-derived biomarkers for measuring oxidative damage.