Collagen Scaffolds in Veterinary Medicine: Safety, Sustainability, and Clinical Accessibility of Mammalian- and Marine-Derived Sources—A Scoping Review

Collagen-based biomaterials are widely used in regenerative medicine, particularly in human clinical practice for musculoskeletal and dermal applications. In veterinary medicine, however, their adoption remains limited, mainly due to high costs, limited species-specific evidence, and the lack of standardized clinical protocols. Additionally, the need for extensive purification and traceability to meet regulatory safety requirements significantly impacts production costs and scalability. Marine-derived collagen (MDC), obtained from vertebrate (e.g., fish) and invertebrate (e.g., jellyfish and sponges) sources, has recently emerged as a promising alternative to mammalian-derived collagen. MDC can be sourced from seafood industry by-products, offering a more sustainable and potentially cost-effective solution. These materials present reduced biological risks, including negligible zoonotic transmission and absence of prion contamination, along with tunable structural and functional properties suitable for scaffold and hydrogel development. This scoping review, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, provides a comparative analysis of mammalian- and marine-derived collagen-based scaffolds, focusing on their relevance for veterinary applications based on 61 sources selected from a systematic search of the PubMed and Scopus databases. Biological safety, functional performance, environmental sustainability, and economic accessibility are critically discussed. Particular attention is given to the potential of MDC to improve the accessibility, affordability, and sustainability of regenerative therapies in veterinary medicine.