| Bone is a highly sophisticated connective tissue which is composed of biological composite materials. Collagen is the mainly organic component of bone tissue, and it produces toughness to resist external force. Many studies have demonstrated that diseases which can lead to reduced bone strength, such as osteoporosis, could cause the change in bone collagen. Collagen is a decisive parameter of bone strength independent of BMD. It is important to study the relationship between collagen and bone strength in order to understand the development of osteoporosis, and to provide important information to assess the bone strength. Based on the literature review, we summarize that the most related parameters between bone strength and collagen are structure collagen molecule, the alignment of collagen fibrils, and collagen cross-links. Meanwhile, the status of collagen in osteoporosis and diabetes is also discussed in this review. The changes of collagen in osteoporosis and diabetes include alignments of collagen fibrils, group modify, and the increase of glycosylation. |