A group of Australian scientists investigating the biological activities present in shark cartilage have found the same properties in the cartilage of alternative production species like crocodile, camel and deer.

In fact, crocodile cartilage has a very high level of bioactivity and is particularly rich in the molecules thought to be anti-tumor. This was not an unprecedented finding for the crocodile.  Recently, a peptide (a degraded portion of a protein) has been isolated from the blood of Australian crocodiles and reportedly has novel antibiotic activity.

The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), which has just released a report detailing the results, backed the research at CSIRO Tropical Agriculture’s Molecular Animal Genetics Centre.

Project leader Gregory Harper said the research set out to identify the biological activities (bioactivities) in shark cartilage that provide human efficacy.

“At present, clinical efficacy is only supported by anecdotal data, though there is good laboratory evidence for a range of bioactivities,” Dr Harper said.

 “We have tested cartilages from emu, ostrich, deer, camel, crocodile and kangaroo for its potency and production efficiency as alternatives to shark cartilage.”

“Of these crocodile shows the most promise as a new source as its cartilage is particularly rich in anti-angiogenetic agents (AAA) which have been identified as anti-tumor agents.”

“All the others showed variable potency with ostrich the only one not considered a possible substitute for shark."

Dr Harper said the results offered opportunities to improve the production options of these alternative livestock species.
In markets where meat from these industries compete with traditional meats, the harvesting of cartilage may provide an incentive for production.

The researchers concluded more research is needed to further characterise the crocodile AAA and that more market research is needed to define consumer acceptance of the alternative cartilages.

The researchers will be presenting their work at the Australian Biotechnology Association’s annual conference (ABA2000) in Brisbane on 2 – 6 July.

NOTE: The full report Cartilage Co-products Commercial Development From Alternative Production Species is available at http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/NAP/00-35.pdf or you can puchase a copy of the printed version online at RIRDC's Eshop (under New Animal Products program)

More information:
Dr Gregory Harper, CSIRO, (07) 3214 2441
Peter Allingham, CSIRO, (07) 3214 2441
Tim Evans, RIRDC Communications, (02) 6272 4735