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Carnosine Usage

Written by FoundHealth, Olivia Cerf.
| Therapeutic Uses

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Therapeutic Uses

Carnosine is widely marketed as an anti-aging nutrient. However, while there are a large number of studies that hint carnosine might help slow various aspects of aging, the quality of these studies is as yet far too low to provide any reliable evidence for benefit. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 There is some actual evidence that carnosine may be helpful for children with autistic spectrum disorders. 20 In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 31 children with autism were given either carnosine (400 mg twice daily) or placebo for a period of 8 weeks. The results showed that children given carnosine showed significant improvements compared to those given placebo. While this was too small a trial to allow definitive conclusions, it is promising.

Like numerous other substances, carnosine has antioxidant properties , meaning that it neutralizes dangerous, naturally occurring substances called free radicals. 21 Free radicals are thought to play a role in many illnesses, and on this basis many antioxidant substances have been studied for potential health-promoting properties. The best evaluated are beta-carotene , vitamin E , and vitamin C . However, despite massive amounts of research, these supplements have yet to live up to their apparent promise. Some websites claim that carnosine acts as an antioxidant in a unique way, fighting the “second wave” effects that follow attacks by free radicals. However, there is no meaningful evidence to support this theory or the hypothesis that such an effect, if it truly exists, would provide any health benefits.

Other weak evidence hints that oral carnosine might be helpful for cataracts, 22 23 24 25 26 wound healing , 27 Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 diseases of the digestive tract, 47 and various forms of heart disease. 48 It has been hypothesized that taking supplements of the amino acid alanine can raise carnosine levels in muscle, and, in turn, enhance sports performance. However, the one published study where this was tried failed to report benefit. 49

References

  1. Hipkiss AR, Brownson C. A possible new role for the anti-ageing peptide carnosine. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2000;57:747–53.
  2. Yuneva AO, Kramarenko GG, Vetreshchak TV, Gallant S, Boldyrev AA. Effect of carnosine on Drosophila melanogaster lifespan. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2002;133:559–61.
  3. Hipkiss AR, Brownson C, Bertani MF, Ruiz E, Ferro A. Reaction of carnosine with aged proteins: another protective process? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 959():285-94.
  4. Stuerenburg HJ. The roles of carnosine in aging of skeletal muscle and in neuromuscular diseases. Biochemistry (Mosc). 65(7):862-5.
  5. Gallant S, Semyonova M, Yuneva M. Carnosine as a potential anti-senescence drug. Biochemistry (Mosc). 65(7):866-8.
  6. Boldyrev A, Song R, Lawrence D, Carpenter DO. Carnosine protects against excitotoxic cell death independently of effects on reactive oxygen species. Neuroscience. 94(2):571-7.
  7. Boldyrev, AA, Gallant, SC, Suhkich, GT. Carnosine, the protective, anti-aging peptide. Biosci Rep. 1999;19:581–7.
  8. Gille JJ, Pasman P, van Berkel CG, Joenje H. Effect of antioxidants on hyperoxia-induced chromosomal breakage in Chinese hamster ovary cells: protection by carnosine. Mutagenesis. 6(4):313-8.
  9. Shao L, Li QH, Tan Z. L-carnosine reduces telomere damage and shortening rate in cultured normal fibroblasts. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 324(2):931-6.
  10. Ikeda D, Wada S, Yoneda C, Abe H, Watabe S. Carnosine stimulates vimentin expression in cultured rat fibroblasts. Cell Struct Funct. 24(2):79-87.
  11. Kantha SS, Wada S, Tanaka H, Takeuchi M, Watabe S, Ochi H. Carnosine sustains the retention of cell morphology in continuous fibroblast culture subjected to nutritional insult. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 223(2):278-82.
  12. Kasai H. Analysis of a form of oxidative DNA damage, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, as a marker of cellular oxidative stress during carcinogenesis. Mutat Res. 387(3):147-63.
  13. McFarland GA, Holliday R. Retardation of the senescence of cultured human diploid fibroblasts by carnosine. Exp Cell Res. 212(2):167-75.
  14. McFarland GA, Holliday R. Further evidence for the rejuvenating effects of the dipeptide L-carnosine on cultured human diploid fibroblasts. Exp Gerontol. 34(1):35-45.
  15. Hipkiss A, Chana H. Carnosine protects proteins against methylglyoxal-mediated modifications. BiochemBiophys Rcs Goinm. 1998.248;28–32.
  16. Brownson C, Hipkiss AR. Carnosine reacts with a glycated protein. Free Radic Biol Med. 28(10):1564-70.
  17. Schmidt AM, Yan SD, Wautier JL, Stern D. Activation of receptor for advanced glycation end products: a mechanism for chronic vascular dysfunction in diabetic vasculopathy and atherosclerosis. Circ Res. 84(5):489-97.
  18. Stuerenburg HJ, Kunze K. Concentrations of free carnosine (a putative membrane-protective antioxidant) in human muscle biopsies and rat muscles. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 29(2):107-13.
  19. Wang AM, Ma C, Xie ZH, et al. Use of carnosine as a natural anti-senescence drug for human beings. Biochemistry (Moscow). 2000;65:869–71.
  20. Chez MG, Buchanan CP, Aimonovitch MC, Becker M, Schaefer K, Black C, Komen J. Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of L-carnosine supplementation in children with autistic spectrum disorders. J Child Neurol. 17(11):833-7.
  21. Tarnha M, et al. Hydroxyl radical scavenging by carnosine and Cu(ii)-carm)sine complexes. Int J Radial Biol. 1999;75:1177–1188.
  22. Quinn PL Boldyrev AA. Formaziuk VH. Carnosine: its properties, functions and potential therapeutic applications. Mol Aspects Mod , 1992;13:379–444.
  23. Yuneva, MO, Bulygina, ER, Gallant, SC, et al. Effect of carnosine on age-induced changes in senescence-accelerated mice. J Anti-Aging Medicine. 1999;2:337–342.
  24. Babizhayev MA, Deyev AI, Yermakova VN, Semiletov YA, Davydova NG, Doroshenko VS, Zhukotskii AV, Goldman IM. Efficacy of N-acetylcarnosine in the treatment of cataracts. Drugs R D. 3(2):87-103.
  25. Babizhayev MA. Rejuvenation of visual functions in older adult drivers and drivers with cataract during a short-term administration of N-acetylcarnosine lubricant eye drops. Rejuvenation Res. 7(3):186-98.
  26. Babizhayev MA, Deyev AI, Yermakova VN, Semiletov YA, Davydova NG, Kurysheva NI, Zhukotskii AV, Goldman IM. N-Acetylcarnosine, a natural histidine-containing dipeptide, as a potent ophthalmic drug in treatment of human cataracts. Peptides. 22(6):979-94.
  27. Nagai K, Suda T, Kawasaki K, Yamaguchi Y. Effects of L-carnosine on blood cells and biomembrane. NipponSeirigaku Zasshi. 1990;52:339–44.
  28. Stvolinskii SL, Fedorova TN, Yuneva MO, Boldyrev AA. Protective effect of carnosine on Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase during impaired oxidative metabolism in the brain in vivo. Bull Exp Biol Med. 135(2):130-2.
  29. Preston JE, Hipkiss AR, Himsworth DT, Romero IA, Abbott JN. Toxic effects of beta-amyloid(25-35) on immortalised rat brain endothelial cell: protection by carnosine, homocarnosine and beta-alanine. Neurosci Lett. 242(2):105-8.
  30. MV, Aksenov MY, Markesbery WR, et al. Aging in a dish: age-dependent changes of neuronal survival, protein oxidation, and creatine kinase BB expression in long-term hippocampal cell culture. J Neurosci Res. 1999;58:308–17.
  31. Atwood CS, Moir RD, Huang X, et al. Dramatic aggregation of Alzheimer Ab by Cu(II) is induced by conditions representing physiological acidosis. J Biol Chem. 1998;273:12817–26.
  32. Boldyrev AA, Stvolinsky SL, Tyulina OV, Koshelev VB, Hori N, Carpenter DO. Biochemical and physiological evidence that carnosine is an endogenous neuroprotector against free radicals. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 17(2):259-71.
  33. Butterfield DA. Alzheimer's beta-amyloid peptide and free radical oxidative stress. In: Gilbert DL, Colton CA, eds. Reactive Oxygen Species in Biological Systems: An Interdisciplinary Approach. New York: Plenum; 1999:609–638.
  34. Carney JM, Starke-Reed PE, Oliver CN, et al. Reversal of age-related increase in brain protein oxidation, decrease in enzyme activity, and loss in temporal and spatial memory by chronic administration of the spin-trapping compound N-tert-butyl-alpha phenylnitrone. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1991;88:3633–6.
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  37. Forster MJ, Dubey A, Dawson KM, et al. Age-related losses of cognitive function and motor skills in mice are associated with oxidative protein damage in the brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1996;93:4765–9.
  38. Horning MS, Blakemore LJ, Trombley PQ. Endogenous mechanisms of neuroprotection: role of zinc, copper, and carnosine. Brain Res. 852(1):56-61.
  39. Huang X, Cuajungco MP, Atwood CS, et al. Cu(II) potentiation of Azheimer Ab neurotoxicity. Correlation with cell-free hydrogen peroxide production and metal reduction. J Biol Chem. 1999;274:37111–6.
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  41. Münch G, Mayer S, Michaelis J, Hipkiss AR, Riederer P, Müller R, Neumann A, Schinzel R, Cunningham AM. Influence of advanced glycation end-products and AGE-inhibitors on nucleation-dependent polymerization of beta-amyloid peptide. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1360(1):17-29.
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  43. Smith MA, Sayre LM, Anderson VE, et al. Cytochemical demonstration of oxidative damage in Alzheimer disease by immunochemical enhancement of the carbonyl reaction with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine. J HistochemCytochem. 1998;46:731–5.
  44. Stvolinsky SL, Kukley ML, Dobrota D, Matejovicova M, Tkac I, Boldyrev AA. Carnosine: an endogenous neuroprotector in the ischemic brain. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 19(1):45-56.
  45. Thomas T, Thomas G, McLendon C, Sutton T, Mullan M. beta-Amyloid-mediated vasoactivity and vascular endothelial damage. Nature. 380(6570):168-71.
  46. de la Torre JC. Cerebromicrovascular pathology in Alzheimer's disease compared to normal aging. Gerontology. 43(1-2):26-43.
  47. Mahmood A, FitzGerald AJ, Marchbank T, Ntatsaki E, Murray D, Ghosh S, Playford RJ. Zinc carnosine, a health food supplement that stabilises small bowel integrity and stimulates gut repair processes. Gut. 56(2):168-75.
  48. Roberts PR, Zaloga GP. Cardiovascular effects of carnosine. Biochemistry (Mosc). 65(7):856-61.
  49. Kendrick IP, Harris RC, Kim HJ, Kim CK, Dang VH, Lam TQ, Bui TT, Smith M, Wise JA. The effects of 10 weeks of resistance training combined with beta-alanine supplementation on whole body strength, force production, muscular endurance and body composition. Amino Acids. 34(4):547-54.
 
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