Carnosine is a dipeptide compound that is found in many dietary supplements and food products. Carnosine has many functions in the body, such as alleviating oxidative stress on tissues by acting as an antioxidant compound. Carnosine, therefore, has important anti-aging properties. Carnosine is also capable of forming protective sequestration structures around heavy metal ions; this process of c...

PURPOSE Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death is the final event leading to visual impairment in glaucoma; therefore, identification of neuroprotective strategies able to slow down or prevent the process is one of the main challenges for glaucoma research. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of RGC death induced by the in vivo transient increase in intraocular pr...

Our goal in this study was to determine whether or not feeding young (4 months old) Alzheimer's disease model transgenic mice with a high fat diet (HFD), consisting of 32% fat, is capable of causing cognitive decline and whether treatment with β-alanyl-L-histidine (carnosine) is capable of reducing these effects. Carnosine is an endogenous antioxidant and antiglycating agent that is abundantly ...

1. Dunnett M, Harris RC. Influence of oral beta-alanine and L-histidine supplementation on the carnosine content gluteus medius. Equine Veterinary Journal. 1999;31(s30):499– 504. doi:10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb05273.x. CrossRef Google Scholar

Freely occurring alpha-l-aspartyl-l-histidine, beta-alanyl-l-histidine (carnosine), alpha-l-aspartyl-alpha-l-lysine, l-asparaginyl-alpha-l-lysine, alpha-l-glutamyl-alpha-l-lysine, l-isoleucyl-alpha-l-lysine, l-seryl-alpha-l-lysine, l-valyl-alpha-l-lysine and glycyl-alpha-l-lysyl-alpha-l-lysine were identified in young larvae (second and third instars) of the blowfly (Phormia regina).

This 1H-NMR study provides experimental evidence for an intermolecular interaction between the dipeptide carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) and the purine nucleoside 5'-monophosphates 5'-AMP, 5'-GMP. From the observed upfield shifts of the purine nucleotide and imidazole proton resonances it is concluded that the interaction is of the stacking type and that it involves the purine base of the n...

One of the mechanisms underlying the aging process is proposed to be oxidative damage by free radicals. Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) is a dipeptide with antioxidant properties. In this study, we investigated the effect of carnosine supplementation on oxidative stress in serum, apoB-containing lipoproteins (LDL + VLDL) and erythrocytes of young and aged rats. At the initiation of the study, ...

Oxidative DNA damage in bone marrow cells is the main side effect of chemotherapy drugs including cyclophosphamide (CTX). However, not all antioxidants are effective in inhibiting oxidative DNA damage. In this study, we report the beneficial effect of carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine), a special antioxidant with acrolein-sequestering ability, on CTX-induced bone marrow cell suppression. Our resu...

Carnosine is an endogenously synthesized dipeptide composed of beta-alanine and L-histidine. It acts as a free radical scavenger and possesses antioxidant properties. Carnosine reduces proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines such as transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), IL-1, and TNF-alpha in different experimental settings. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of carnosin...

The dipeptide carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) has contrasting but beneficial effects on cellular activity. It delays cellular senescence and rejuvenates cultured senescent mammalian cells. However, it also inhibits the growth of cultured tumour cells. Based on studies in several organisms, we speculate that carnosine exerts these apparently opposing actions by affecting energy metabolism and/o...