Rabbit Skin as a Source of Collagenous Biomaterials for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Application: A Critical Appraisal of Evidence, Processing Routes and Translational Barriers
Elma Putri Primandasari
Department of Business and Hospitality, Vocational Faculty, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
Lilik Eka Radiati
Department of Animal Product Technology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
Agus Susilo *
Department of Animal Product Technology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
Hery Toiba
Department of Social Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Bio-Industry and Forestry, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
Herly Evanuarini
Department of Animal Product Technology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
Abdul Manab
Department of Animal Product Technology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
Eko Widodo
Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Universitas Brawjaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
Chaerul Charles Soffat
Benteng Kelinci Rabbit Slaughterhouse, Pakis, Malang 65153, Indonesia.
Khothibul Umam Al Awwaly
Department of Animal Product Technology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
Aldyon Restu Azkarahman
Department of Animal Product Technology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang 65145, Indonesia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) skin is generated in large volumes as a low-value by-product of rabbit meat production, and its high type I collagen content has prompted repeated suggestions that it could serve as an alternative feedstock for collagen and gelatin used in pharmaceutical and biomedical products. The proposition is attractive because rabbit tissue is not associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, carries fewer cultural and religious restrictions than porcine material, and yields collagen with a denaturation temperature close to mammalian body temperature, which is a recognised weakness of marine alternatives. This review examines whether the published evidence supports that proposition. Literature was identified through structured searching of open scholarly databases and indexes, supplemented by citation tracking, and was appraised for methodological adequacy, evidence–claim alignment and translational relevance rather than being catalogued study by study. The analysis shows a distinct asymmetry. Physicochemical characterisation of rabbit skin collagen and gelatin is reasonably consistent across independent groups, demonstrating type I collagen with high subunit integrity, thermal stability near 36 °C, rapid acid gelatinisation, and gel strength comparable with or exceeding that of commercial mammalian gelatin. Biological and pharmaceutical evaluation, by contrast, is confined to a small number of electrospun dressing studies reporting cytocompatibility, antimicrobial activity and short-term systemic tolerance, with no controlled wound-healing efficacy trials, no drug-release investigations, no injectable or hydrogel formats, and no reporting of endotoxin, residual reagent or immunogenicity data using recognised biomaterial standards. Most work is framed within food science, uses single-laboratory designs without replication, and is concentrated in a few countries. Rabbit skin is therefore best described as a plausible but largely unvalidated biomaterial feedstock. Priorities include standardised medical-grade processing with documented purity, direct comparative testing against bovine, porcine and marine references, and adequately powered preclinical evaluation using biologically meaningful endpoints.
Keywords: Oryctolagus cuniculus, type I collagen, gelatin, animal by-product valorisation, wound dressing, biomaterial safety, electrospun nanofibers