TABLE 2.
Summary of studies assessing the effect of exogenous carnosine, and its constituent amino acids, on oxidative stress parameters1
| Supplementation protocol | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study (reference) | Species | Experimental model | Dosages(s) | Duration | Main results |
| Harada et al. (48) | Rat | Doxorubicin (5 mg/kg for 1 or 48 h) | 3% β-alanine | 3–4 wk | β-alanine supplementation increased tissue MDA in doxorubicin-treated rats but did not change tissue GSSG |
| Lee et al. (86) | Rat | 40-min ischemia + 30-min reperfusion | 1 mM carnosine, 1 mM l-histidine, or 10 mM l-histidine | 20 min | One millimolar of carnosine was more effective at scavenging singlet oxygen compared with 1 mM or 10 mM of l-histidine |
| Parildar et al. (98) | Rat | Aging | 3% β-alanine | 6 wk | MDA and DC concentrations and AA- and NADPH-induced lipid peroxidation were increased in the hearts of aged rats but there were no changes in GSH, vitamin E, or vitamin C concentrations, or in SOD, GSH-Px, or GST activities. Cardiac MDA and DC concentrations and the antioxidant system did not further change in the hearts of β-alanine–treated aged rats. AA- and NADPH-induced lipid peroxidation increased in the heart of aged rats treated with β-alanine |
| Aydın et al. (99) | Rat | Ageing (young vs. old) | 250 mg · kg–1 · d–1 carnosine | 1 mo | Aged rats experienced an increase in MDA and DC concentrations but no differences in enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant elements when compared to the young rats. Carnosine supplementation had no effect on cardiac oxidative stress parameters in young or aged rats |
| Dursun et al. (69) | Rat | Adriamycin (single dose of 16 mg/kg on day 14) | 10 mg · kg–1 · d–1 carnosine | 2 wk | Carnosine supplementation increased plasma CAT activity in the rats not treated with adriamycin. Adriamycin decreased plasma SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT activities; the addition of carnosine supplementation was able to maintain these activities at normal levels. Carnosine supplementation prevented the increase in plasma MDA that was seen with adriamycin |
| Özdoğan et al. (70) | Rat | Adriamycin (4 doses over 8 d) | 10 mg · kg–1 · d–1 carnosine | 2 wk | Carnosine supplementation prevented the increase in plasma lipid peroxidation that was seen with adriamycin. Plasma SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT activity were decreased with adriamycin. Carnosine supplementation was able to maintain normal concentrations of these antioxidants when added to the adriamycin group |
| Pansani et al. (51) | Rat | Healthy | 3% β-alanine | 30 d | β-alanine supplementation showed a higher concentration of tissue LH and lower activity of tissue CAT and GSH-Px |
| Kalaz et al. (100) | Rat | Healthy or stress protocol (immobilization and 4°C cold room for 1 h/d for 5, 7, or 21 d) | 250 mg · kg–1 · d–1 carnosine | 30 min prior to stress protocol | Cardiac concentrations of MDA, PC, DC, and NT and nonenzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants were not affected by the stress protocol. The addition of carnosine in the stress group did not have any effect on these markers—carnosine only caused a decrease in GSH-Px. Carnosine supplementation had no effect on these markers in physiologically healthy hearts |
| Evran et al. (101) | Rat | Isoproterenol | 250 mg · kg–1 · d–1 carnosine | 2 or 12 d | Carnosine pretreatment had no effect on plasma MDA and PC concentration but did increase FRAP values. Twelve days of carnosine pretreatment decreased cardiac MDA, DC, and PC concentrations and increased GSH concentrations and the activities of SOD and GSH-Px |
| Kumral et al. (102) | Rat | Doxorubicin (single dose of 30 mg/kg on day 8) | 250 mg · kg–1 · d–1 carnosine | 12 d | Carnosine supplementation decreased doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress (TBARS, PC, and DC concentrations) in cardiac tissue. GSH decreased with doxorubicin but this was increased with the addition of carnosine supplementation. GSH-Px activity remained unchanged |
| Hou et al. (103) | Rat | 30-min coronary artery occlusion | 100 mM β-alanine | 30 d | The increase in cardiac MDA and intracellular ROS induced by the occlusion model was decreased with the addition of β-alanine supplementation. The decrease in cardiac SOD and CAT activity, and GSH and GSH-Px concentrations induced by the occlusion model was increased with the addition of β-alanine supplementation |
1
AA, ascorbic acid; CAT, catalase; DC, diene conjugate; FRAP, ferric reducing ability of plasma; GSH, (reduced) glutathione; GSH-Px, glutathione peroxidase; GSSG, oxidized glutathione; GST, glutathione transferase; LH, lipid hydroperoxide; MDA, malondialdehyde; NT, nitrotyrosine; PC, protein carbonyl; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SOD, superoxide dismutase; TBARS, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances.