l-Carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine), a dipeptide of the amino acids β-alanine and histidine, is found in mammalian tissues including those in the central nervous system and in skeletal muscles. In the present study, we examined the effects of intraduodenal (ID) injection of l-carnosine on splenic sympathetic nerve activity (splenic-SNA) in urethane-anesthetized rats and found that ID injection o...

Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine), described as an enigmatic peptide for its antioxidant, anti-aging and especially antiproliferation properties, has been demonstrated to play an anti-tumorigenic role in certain types of cancer. However, its function in human gastric carcinoma remains unclear. In this study, the effect of carnosine on cell proliferation and its underlying mechanisms were investi...

Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is present in high concentrations in human skeletal muscles. The oral ingestion of beta-alanine, the rate-limiting precursor in carnosine synthesis, has been shown to elevate the muscle carnosine content both in trained and untrained humans. Little human data exist about the dynamics of the muscle carnosine content, its metabolic regulation, and its dependenc...

The experiments of Bach and Langley (1) with frog muscle suspensions indicated that the carnosine of this tissue was freely diffusible upon dialysis of homogenates. On the other hand, Reddy and Hegsted (2) observed that the “debris” of rat skeletal muscle homogenates contained 43% of the total carnosine. This debris, representing material sedimented at 650 x g, still retained half of its initia...

Carnosine is a dipeptide of β-alanine and histidine amino acids. It is widely present in muscle and brain tissues. Carnosine has been demonstrated to be an antioxidant agent that is beneficial in animals. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and aldehydes are are generated from membrane fatty acid oxidation. The antioxidant potential and toxicity of salsolinol had been extensively studied in vivo and ...

We have confirmed and extended previous results on the beneficial effects of L-carnosine on growth, morphology, and longevity of cultured human fibroblasts, strains MRC-5 and HFF-1. We have shown that late-passage HFF-1 cells retain a juvenile appearance in medium containing 50 mM carnosine, and revert to a senescent phenotype when carnosine is removed. Switching cells between medium with and w...

Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) is a small dipeptide with numerous beneficial effects, including the maintenance of the acid-base balance, antioxidant properties, chelating agent, anti-crosslinking, and anti-glycation activities. High levels of carnosine and its analogue anserine (1-methyl carnosine) are found in skeletal muscle and the brain. Zinc (Zn)-induced neurotoxicity plays a crucial ro...

Carnosine (beta-alanyl-l-histidine) has been characterized as a putative neurotransmitter. However, so far, understanding of the role of carnosine in the brain is very limited. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of carnosine on the development of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) kindling seizures and protection against the PTZ kindled seizures in rats. Chemical kindling was elicited ...

Interactions between carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine), being plentiful in skeletal muscles and neuronal tissues, and captopril, a widely used angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, were examined concerning free radical scavenging activity and ACE activity in vitro. Not only captopril, but also carnosine, at concentrations less than those ordinarily found in muscles and neuronal tissu...

Carnosine is an endogenous dipeptide abundant in the central nervous system, where by acting as intracellular pH buffering molecule, Zn/Cu ion chelator, antioxidant and anti-crosslinking agent, it exerts a well-recognized multi-protective homeostatic function for neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Carnosine seems to counteract proteotoxicity and protein accumulation in neurodegenerative condition...