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Review
. 2024 May 24:21:101776.
doi: 10.1016/j.bonr.2024.101776. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Eggshell membrane as promising supplement to maintain bone health: A systematic review

Johannes-Paul Fladerer  1   2 , Selina Grollitsch  1
Affiliations
Review

Eggshell membrane as promising supplement to maintain bone health: A systematic review

Johannes-Paul Fladerer et al. Bone Rep. .

Abstract

Bone loss is a well-known phenomenon in the older population leading to increased bone fracture risk, morbidity, and mortality. Supplementation of eggshell membrane (ESM) is evaluated due to its possible application to prevent bone loss and usage in osteoporosis therapy. The similar organic chemical composition of ESM and human bone is described in detail as both mainly consist of collagen type I, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, hyaluronic acid and elastan. ESM and its components are reported to improve mineralization in bone tissue. In many studies ESM intake reduced pain in patients with joint disorders and reduced inflammatory processes. Additionally, ESM improved calcium uptake in human cells. These findings in comparison with a clinical pilot study reporting pain reduction in osteoporotic patients and increased osteoblast activity in in vitro assays support ESM to be a beneficial supplement for bone health. In this systematic review we combined chemical structure analysis with clinical studies to give a more comprehensive picture with novel explanations.

Keywords: Bone density; Bone mineralization; Collagen type I; Glycosaminoglycans.

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Conflict of interest statement

JPF reported receiving personal fees from Apomedica Pharmazeutische Produkte GmbH as employee.The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Bone composition. The role of GAGs and structure proteins for collagen type I mineralization is demonstrated.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Chemical structure of chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate. According to their negative charge they are able to bind mineral structures.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Overview of beneficial effects of ESM on bone health.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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