Poultry collagen: Structural and functional properties, biomaterial potential, and the molecular mechanisms and biological interactions of its hydrolysates in wound healing and tissue regeneration — A review

Poultry collagen (POC) and its hydrolysates (POCHs) are emerging as sustainable, high-performance biomaterials for wound healing and tissue regeneration. Distinguished by superior thermal stability and a rich content of glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline, POCHs (0–80 kDa peptides) demonstrate potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and fibroblast-stimulatory activities. The growing market for collagen-based biomaterials is supported by the annual generation of about 150 million tons of meat processing by-products, highlighting the industrial significance of poultry-derived collagen. Unlike previous reviews focusing on marine or mammalian sources, this review emphasizes the potential of POC/POCH as a robust, bioactive platform for wound healing. This synthesis reviews the structural properties, extraction and hydrolysis methods, and physicochemical characteristics of POC/POCH, detailing the molecular mechanisms that regulate critical wound-healing pathways, including oxidative stress reduction, cytokine modulation, fibroblast activation, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Diverse formulation strategies—such as hydrogels, films, sponges, and nanocarrier-integrated dressings—are analyzed, emphasizing the moisture-retention, biocompatibility, and thermal resilience of POC/POCH systems for facilitating re-epithelialization. Preclinical studies show that POC-based dermal substitutes improve fibroblast proliferation, collagen deposition, and cryopreservation tolerance, but clinical validation is lacking. The review highlights translational challenges such as mechanical integrity, thermal stability, scalable manufacturing, and regulatory compliance, and suggests research directions to leverage poultry collagen's unique properties for future advancements.