Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Oct 2;13(5):1914-1929.
doi: 10.1093/advances/nmac059.

Physiological Roles of Carnosine in Myocardial Function and Health

Jade V Creighton  1 , Lívia de Souza Gonçalves  2 , Guilherme G Artioli  3 , Di Tan  4 , Kirsty J Elliott-Sale  1   5 , Mark D Turner  6 , Craig L Doig  6 , Craig Sale  1   5
Affiliations
Review

Physiological Roles of Carnosine in Myocardial Function and Health

Jade V Creighton et al. Adv Nutr. .

Abstract

Carnosine is a pleiotropic histidine-containing dipeptide synthesized from β-alanine and l-histidine, with the intact dipeptide and constituent amino acids being available from the diet. The therapeutic application of carnosine in myocardial tissue is promising, with carnosine playing a potentially beneficial role in both healthy and diseased myocardial models. This narrative review discusses the role of carnosine in myocardial function and health, including an overview of the metabolic pathway of carnosine in the myocardial tissue, the roles carnosine may play in the myocardium, and a critical analysis of the literature, focusing on the effect of exogenous carnosine and its precursors on myocardial function. By so doing, we aim to identify current gaps in the literature, thereby identifying considerations for future research.

Keywords: animals; calcium transients; carnosine; contractility; heart; humans; lipid peroxidation; metabolism; oxidative stress; β-alanine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The chemical structure of β-alanine (C3H7NO2), l-histidine (C6H9N3O2), and carnosine (C9H14N4O3), and the metabolic pathway between carnosine and its constituent amino acids. (Created using Chem Draw (PerkinElmer).)
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The main physiological roles of carnosine in myocardial function and health: an overview. (1) Carnosine (CARN) regulates EC coupling by influencing calcium (Ca2+) release from the SR via the RyR2 and Ca2+reuptake via SERCA2. (2) Carnosine acts as a mobile Ca2+/H+ buffer, transporting Ca2+ across the cytosol in an H+-coupled manner. (3) Carnosine prevents excessive accumulation of oxidative stress products (e.g., ROS) and acts as a scavenger to form covalent adducts with reactive aldehydes (e.g., acrolein and HNE) (created using BioRender.com). EC, excitation-contraction; HNE, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal; LTCC, L-type calcium channel; ROS, reactive oxygen species; RyR2, ryanodine receptor; SERCA2, sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase; SR, sarcoplasmic reticulum.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Boldyrev AA, Aldini G, Derave W. Physiology and pathophysiology of carnosine. Physiol Rev. 2013;93:1803–45. - PubMed
    1. Gulewitsch WI, Alikhanov S. Ueber das carnosin, eine neue organische base des fleischextractes. Berichte Dtsch Chem Ges. 1900;33(2):1902–3.
    1. Hobson RM, Saunders B, Ball G, Harris RC, Sale C. Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino Acids. 2012;43(1):25–37. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Saunders B, Elliott-Sale K, Artioli GG, Swinton PA, Dolan E, Roschel Het al. . β-Alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(8):658–69. - PubMed
    1. Harris RC, Wise JA, Price KA, Kim HJ, Kim CK, Sale C. Determinants of muscle carnosine content. Amino Acids. 2012;43(1):5–12. - PMC - PubMed