Collagen of the skin of ocellate puffer fish (Takifugu rubripes)

Collagens (acid-solubilized and pepsin-solubilized collagens) were prepared from ocellate puffer fish skin and partially characterized. With respect to the pepsin-solubilized collagen, it was a heterotrimer with a chain composition of (alpha1)(2)alpha2. The patterns of peptide fragments were different from skin collagens of other species. The denaturation temperature was 28 degreesC, about 9 degreesC lower than that of porcine skin collagen. On the other hand, the yields of acid-solubilized and pepsin-solubilized collagens were very high, 10.7% and 44.7%, respectively, on a dry weight basis. These results suggest that ocellate puffer fish skin has potential as an alternative source of collagen for use in various fields. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.