Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B (Apr 2025)

Post-translational modifications of collagen and its related diseases in metabolic pathways

  • Linghong Guo,
  • Weiyi Xiang,
  • Zhaoping Pan,
  • He Gu,
  • Xian Jiang

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 4
pp. 1773 – 1795

Abstract

Read online

As the most abundant and essential structural protein in the human body, collagen is ubiquitously present in the interstitium of nearly all solid organs, playing a crucial role in maintaining the structural integrity and functional stability of human tissues and organs. Disorders associated with collagen structure and metabolisms impose a significant burden on society and healthcare systems. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are essential steps in collagen metabolism, and recent studies have indicated that aberrant regulation of PTMs plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and progress of collagen-related disorders, including liver, kidney, heart, lung, and skin fibrosis, as well as keloid. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the regulatory mechanisms of both traditional and novel PTMs in collagen metabolism and collagen-related diseases. Furthermore, we summarize the drugs that modulate PTMs and their effects, with the aim of elucidating the pathophysiology of collagen-related diseases and provide new insights for their diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

Keywords