Advanced lipoxidation end products (ALEs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have a pathogenetic role in the development and progression of diff erent oxidative-based diseases including diabetes, atherosclerosis, and neurological disorders. AGEs and ALEs represent a quite complex class of compounds that are formed by diff erent mechanisms, by heterogeneous precursors and that can be formed either exogenously or endogenously. There is a wide interest in AGEs and ALEs involving diff erent aspects of research which are essentially focused on setup and application of analytical strategies (1) to identify, characterize, and quantify AGEs and ALEs in diff erent pathophysiological conditions; (2) to elucidate the molecular basis of their biological eff ects; and (3) to discover compounds able to inhibit AGEs/ ALEs damaging eff ects not only as biological tools aimed at validating AGEs/ALEs as drug target, but also as promising drugs. All the above-mentioned research stages require a clear picture of the chemical formation of AGEs/ALEs but this is not simple, due to the complex and heterogeneous pathways, involving diff erent precursors and mechanisms. In view of this intricate scenario, the aim of the present review is to group the main AGEs and ALEs and to describe, for each of them, the precursors and mechanisms of formation.

The main molecular mechanisms explaining the well-established antioxidant and reducing activity of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), the N-acetyl derivative of the natural amino acid l-cysteine, are summarised and critically reviewed. The antioxidant effect is due to the ability of NAC to act as a reduced glutathione (GSH) precursor; GSH is a well-known direct antioxidant and a substrate of several antioxidant enzymes. Moreover, in some conditions where a significant depletion of endogenous Cys and GSH occurs, NAC can act as a direct antioxidant for some oxidant species such as NO and HOX. The antioxidant activity of NAC could also be due to its effect in breaking thiolated proteins, thus releasing free thiols as well as reduced proteins, which in some cases, such as for mercaptoalbumin, have important direct antioxidant activity. As well as being involved in the antioxidant mechanism, the disulphide breaking activity of NAC also explains its mucolytic activity which is due to its effect in reducing heavily cross-linked mucus glycoproteins. Chemical features explaining the efficient disulphide breaking activity of NAC are also explained.

Despite the great technical advancement of mass spectrometry, this technique has contributed in a limited way to the discovery and quantitation of specific/precocious markers linked to free radical-mediated diseases. Unsaturated aldehydes generated by free radical-induced lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and in particular 4-hydroxy-trans-2 nonenal (HNE), are involved in the onset and progression of many pathologies such as cardiovascular (atherosclerosis, long-term complications of diabetes) and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral ischemia). Most of the biological effects of HNE are attributed to the capacity of HNE to react with the nucleophilic sites of proteins and peptides (other than nucleic acids), to form covalently modified biomolecules that can disrupt important cellular functions and induce mutations. By considering the emerging role of HNE in several human diseases, an unequivocal analytical approach as mass spectrometry to detect/elucidate the structure of protein-HNE adducts in biological matrices is strictly needed not only to understand the reaction mechanism of HNE, but also to gain a deeper insight into the pathological role of HNE. This with the aim to provide intermediate diagnostic biomarkers for human diseases. This review sheds focus on the "state-of-the-art" of mass spectrometric applications in the field of HNE-protein adducts characterization, starting from the fundamental early studies and discussing the different MS-based approaches that can provide detailed information on the mechanistic aspects of HNE-protein interaction. In the last decade, the increases in the accessible mass ranges of modern instruments and advances in ionization methods have made possible a fundamental improvement in the analysis of protein-HNE adducts by mass spectrometry, and in particular by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry. The recent developments and uses of combined analytical approaches to detect and characterize the type/site of interaction have been highlighted, and several other aspects, including sample preparation methodologies, structure elucidation, and data analysis have also been considered.

Objective: Carnosine is a naturally present dipeptide in humans and an over-the counter food additive. Evidence from animal studies supports the role for carnosine in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, yet there is limited human data. This study investigated whether carnosine supplementation in individuals with overweight or obesity improves diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: In a double-blind randomized pilot trial in nondiabetic individuals with overweight and obesity (age 43 6 8 years; body mass index 31 6 4 kg/m 2 ), 15 individuals were randomly assigned to 2 g carnosine daily and 15 individuals to placebo for 12 weeks. Insulin sensitivity and secretion, glucose tolerance (oral glucose tolerance test), blood pressure, plasma lipid profile, skeletal muscle ( 1 H-MRS), and urinary carnosine levels were measured. Results: Carnosine concentrations increased in urine after supplementation (P < 0.05). An increase in fasting insulin and insulin resistance was hampered in individuals receiving carnosine compared to placebo, and this remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, and change in body weight (P 5 0.02, P 5 0.04, respectively). Two-hour glucose and insulin were both lower after carnosine supplementation compared to placebo in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (P < 0.05). Conclusions: These pilot intervention data suggest that carnosine supplementation may be an effective strategy for prevention of type 2 diabetes.

We previously demonstrated that polymorphisms in the carnosinase-1 gene (CNDP1) determine the risk of nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients. Carnosine, the substrate of the enzyme encoded by this gene, is considered renoprotective and could possibly be used to treat diabetic nephropathy (DN). In this study, we examined the effect of carnosine treatment in vivo in BTBR (Black and Tan, BRachyuric) ob/ob mice, a type 2 diabetes model which develops a phenotype that closely resembles advanced human DN. Treatment of BTBR ob/ob mice with 4 mM carnosine for 18 weeks reduced plasma glucose and HbA1c, concomitant with elevated insulin and C-peptide levels. Also, albuminuria and kidney weights were reduced in carnosine-treated mice, which showed less glomerular hypertrophy due to a decrease in the surface area of Bowman’s capsule and space. Carnosine treatment restored the glomerular ultrastructure without affecting podocyte number, resulted in a modified molecular composition of the expanded mesangial matrix and led to the formation of carnosine-acrolein adducts. Our results demonstrate that treatment with carnosine improves glucose metabolism, albuminuria and pathology in BTBR ob/ob mice. Hence, carnosine could be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat patients with DN and/or be used to prevent DN in patients with diabetes.

The results indicate that carotenoid supplementation decreases DNA damage and that a combination of carotenoids (4 mg each of lutein, beta-carotene, and lycopene), an intake that can be achieved by diet, or a larger dose (12 mg) of individual carotenoids exerts protection against DNA damage.

No abstract

Reactive carbonyl species (RCS) are endogenous or exogenous byproducts involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of different oxidative-based disorders. Detoxification of RCS by carbonyl quenchers is a promising therapeutic strategy. Among the most studied quenchers are aminoguanidine, hydralazine, pyridoxamine, and carnosine; their quenching activity towards four RCS (4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal, methylglyoxal, glyoxal, and malondialdehyde) was herein analyzed and compared. Their ability to prevent protein carbonylation was evaluated in vitro by using an innovative method based on high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The reactivity of the compounds was RCS dependent: carnosine efficiently quenched 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal, pyridoxamine was particularly active towards malondialdehyde, aminoguanidine was active towards methylglyoxal and glyoxal, and hydralazine efficiently quenched all RCS. Reaction products were generated in vitro and were characterized by HRMS. Molecular modeling studies revealed that the reactivity was controlled by specific stereoelectronic parameters that could be used for the rational design of improved carbonyl quenchers.