Extraction and Antioxidant Activity of Collagen from the Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)

Abstract

Collagen is regarded as one of the most useful biomaterials. Collagen was extracted from wild Chinese soft-shelled turtles (Pelodiscus sinensis) and its molucular patterns and antioxidant activities were investigated. The SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the collagen had three α bands with an approximate molecular weight of 400-410 kDa, which was similar to type V collagen with a molecular pattern of α1(V)α2(V)α3(V) or α1(V)[α2(V)]2. The antioxidant activity of collagen were examined by the radical-scavenging activity (RSA) assay and reducing power (RP) methods respectively. In the RSA assay, the DPPH free radical scavenging capability of the sample collagen was positively correlated with its concentration with a IC50 of 1.95mg/ml. The same trend was found in the RP assay. The reducing power of the sample collagen was also dependent with its dose employed.