Carnosine as an effective neuroprotector in brain pathology and potential neuromodulator in normal conditions

Carnosine synthase deficiency is compatible with normal skeletal muscle and olfactory function but causes reduced olfactory sensitivity in aging mice

“…Although neurons in general contain low levels of glutathione (60) (63)(64)(65). This is suggested by the neuroprotective activity of carnosine in different neurodegenerative model systems (66).…”

Important roles of dietary taurine, creatine, carnosine, anserine and 4-hydroxyproline in human nutrition and health

“…Other physiological functions of carnosine include the regulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ -release channels and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ homeostasis in skeletal muscle, activation of its phosphorylase activity to promote glycogen breakdown (Johnson et al 1982), inhibition of the angiotensin converting enzyme, enhancement of nitric oxide availability in endothelial cells, potentiation of cardiac and skeletal muscle contractilities, serving as a neurotransmitter or a neuromodulator, as well as the modulation of excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle and the activity of the sympathetic nerve innervating the muscle (Nagai et al 2019;Berezhnoy et al 2019). Carnosine also plays a role in the inhibition of the growth and migration but induction of apoptosis of tumor cells, including human glioblastoma cells as well as colorectal and ovarian carcinoma cells (Hipkiss and Gaunitz 2014;Hsieh et al 2019;Iovine et al 2016), as well as the suppression of the release of interleukin-6 by lipopolysaccharides plus interferon-γ-activated macrophages (Caruso et al 2017).…”

“…These effects include decreased plasma glucose and amelioration of diabetic complications (e.g., nephropathy, ocular damage, and retinopathy) in diabetic mice (Lee et al 2005;Pfister et al 2011); reduced lipid oxidation and augmented anti-oxidative capacities [e.g., restoring of blood glutathione and basal activities of antioxidant enzymes in aging rats (Aydin et al 2010a,b;Hipkiss and Brownson 2000)] and in pigs (Ma et al 2010); amelioration of acetaminophen-induced liver injury (Yan et al 2009), thioacetamide-or hyperammonemia-induced liver cirrhosis (Aydin et al 2010a,b;Jamshidzadeh et al 2017b), and ethanol-induced chronic liver injury in rats (Liu et al 2008). Dietary supplementation with carnosine also results in decreases in malondialdehyde, oxidative stress (including ischemic oxidative stress and cerebral ischemia), and ethanol-induced protein carbonyls in brains (Berezhnoy et al 2019;Fedorova et al 2018); amelioration of neurological disorders, including autism spectrum disorder in children (Chez et al 2002;Kawahara et al 2018); protection against cardiovascular injury (Abplanalp et al 2019;Artioli et al 2019) and bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in rats (Cuzzocrea et al 2007); cardiomyopathy in rats induced by chemotherapeutic agents that cause hydroxyl radical formation and lipid peroxidation (Dursun et al 2011); ROS-induced renal damage in mice (Fouad et al 2008); and promotion of wound healing in rodents (Ansurudeen et al 2012). Through augmenting respiratory burst in neutrophils and their production of ROS, as well as modulating the release of the virulent influenza virus from activated neutrophils, oral administration of carnosine and anserine reduces virus dissemination in humans (Babizhayev and Deyev 2012;Babizhayev et al 2014).…”

Carnosine as a Possible Drug for Zinc-Induced Neurotoxicity and Vascular Dementia

“…Additionally, carnosine reportedly attenuates Mn-induced neurotoxicity [95]. Based on these beneficial characteristics, carnosine is considered to be a "gatekeeper" or "neuroprotector" in the brain [15].…”

“…Carnosine is highly accumulated in skeletal muscles and olfactory bulbs in the brain. Since the olfactory bulb is a gateway for external information and substances, carnosine is considered to be an endogenous neuroprotective substance, namely a 'neuroprotector' [15]. The supplement therapy of carnosine or its analogues are reportedly effective for the treatments of diabetes [16], cataract [17], and brain-related disorders such as depression and Gulf-war illness [18,19].…”