Carnosine: Its properties, functions and potential therapeutic applications

Quinn, Peter J.; Boldyrev, Alexander A.; Formazuyk, Vitaly E.

doi:10.1016/0098-2997(92)90006-l

Cited by 282 publications

(192 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…However, as pointed out by Quinn et al (1992), in the same year many claims of therapeutic effects were not substantiated by rigorous experimental examination nor have they been subjected to double blind clinical trials. During the last 20 years, little has changed and we agree when Quinn et al (1992) state that ''where the evidence is more convincing there is encouragement to undertake further studies to test such claims''. We think that the only way to find out whether carnosine will be a useful drug is to test it in rigorous clinical studies with sufficiently large patient numbers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, the positive effects of carnosine are manifold; there is a substantial literature on its protective effects (Quinn et al 1992;Hipkiss 2009b), including astroglial cell protection by NO-trapping (Nicoletti et al 2007) and protection against hypoxia-ischaemia brain damage (Zhang et al 2011). It has been reported that carnosine reduces the development of inflammation and tissue injury associated with spinal cord trauma (Di Paola et al 2011); it also protects lung tissue against bleomycin-induced injury (Cuzzocrea et al 2007) and prevents vascular damage in experimental diabetic retinopathy (Pfister et al 2011).…”

Section: Positive Side Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, despite many efforts, its precise physiological function(s) remain uncertain up to the present day [for reviews see (Quinn et al 1992;Hipkiss 2009a, b)]. Antineoplastic effects of carnosine were first described by Nagai and Suda (1986).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carnosine and cancer: a perspective

Gaunitz

Hipkiss

2012

Amino Acids

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The application of carnosine in medicine has been discussed since several years, but many claims of therapeutic effects have not been substantiated by rigorous experimental examination. In the present perspective, a possible use of carnosine as an anti-neoplastic therapeutic, especially for the treatment of malignant brain tumours such as glioblastoma is discussed. Possible mechanisms by which carnosine may perform its anti-tumourigenic effects are outlined and its expected bioavailability and possible negative and positive side effects are considered. Finally, alternative strategies are examined such as treatment with other dipeptides or b-alanine.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Positive Side Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carnosine and cancer: a perspective

Gaunitz

Hipkiss

2012

Amino Acids

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“…Most of the studies performed in the past were directed to demonstrate a particular abundance of carnosine-related dipeptides in the olfactory system, in the retina and, to a lesser extent, in the brain. The results of these studies will be briefly summarized here, since the earlier literature on this topic has been reviewed extensively (Crush, 1970;Margolis, 1980;Quinn et al, 1992).…”

Section: Carnosine-related Dipeptides In the Nervous Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carnosine-related dipeptides in the mammalian brain

Bonfanti

Peretto

Marchis

et al. 1999

Progress in Neurobiology

187

107

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-Carnosine and structurally related dipeptides are a group of histidine-containing molecules widely distributed in vertebrate organisms and particularly abundant in muscle and nervous tissue. Although many theories have been proposed, the biological function(s) of these compounds in the nervous system remains enigmatic. The purpose of this article is to review the distribution of carnosine-related dipeptides in the mammalian brain, with particular reference to some cell populations wherein these molecules have been demonstrated to occur very recently. The high expression of carnosine in the mammalian olfactory receptor neurons led to infer that this dipeptide could play a role as a neurotransmitter/modulator in olfaction. This prediction, which has not yet been fully demonstrated, does not explain the localization of carnosine-related dipeptides in other cell types, such as glial and ependymal cells. A recent demonstration of high carnosine-like immunoreactivity in the subependymal layer of rodents, an area of the forebrain which shares with the olfactory neuroepithelium the occurrence of continuous neurogenesis during adulthood, supports the hypothesis that carnosine-related dipeptides could be implicated in some forms of structural plasticity. However, the particular distribution of these molecules in the subependymal layer, along with their expression in glial/ependymal cell populations, suggests that they are not directly linked to cell migration or cell renewal. In the absence of a unified theory about the role of carnosine-related dipeptides in the nervous system, some common features shared by different cell populations of the mammalian brain which contain these molecules are discussed.

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“…[31,32] Since its discovery there have been many investigations into its biological function and it is now known that carnosine acts as an anti-oxidant, scavenger of free radicals and active oxygen species [30], as a biological buffer, a source for histidine, an immunostimulant and transition metal ion chelator, especially for Zn 2+ and Cu 2+ [33] and heavy metals. [34] The ability of carnosine to bind Zn 2+ helps modulate neuronal excitability by preventing the Zn 2+ inhibition of neurotransmitter receptors. [35] Carnosine is also effective in the prevention and partial reversal of cataracts [36] and in the treatment of Wilsons disease [37] and Alzheimers due to its metal chelating and free radical scavenging ability and also acting as a β-amyloid toxicity inhibitor.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%