The main properties and biological effects of the antioxidant carnosine, the natural dipeptide β-alanyl-L-histidine, are considered. Data on the effective use of carnosine in different pathologies are presented. Special attention is paid to issues of use of carnosine in neurologic and mental diseases, in alcoholism as well as in physiological states accompanied by activation of free-radical processes and formation of oxidative stress.

Background: Alcoholism is an acute social problem worldwide for negative impact on health. This problem is closely associated with social stress and drinking traditions. Previously, it was established exhaustion of blood antioxidant in alcoholism patients. It requires development and investigation of substances with protective properties under ethanol impact, on both cells and biomolecules. Aims and Objectives: Lithium salts are widely used in medicine as mood stabilizers for mental pathologies, including alcoholism. In this work, we investigate lithium ascorbate for the protection of human blood plasma lipids and proteins under ethanol impact. Materials and Methods: Well-known antioxidants -carnosine and ascorbic acid -were used as reference drugs. Heparinized venous blood was used as an experimental substrate. The ethanol and tested substances in the form of water (physiological)solutions were added to blood in vitro. Protection effects were measured and estimated as concentrations of carbonyls proteins and products of lipid peroxidation in blood plasma. Results: It was shown similar protective action of lithium ascorbate and carnosine on human plasma biomolecules against damaging action of ethanol. No protective effect revealed for ascorbic acid. Conclusion: Lithium ascorbate and carnosine were proved to possess the protection effects for blood lipids and proteins under ethanol impact. Normothymic and bloodprotective properties are desirable for psychotropic drugs, and thus, lithium salts could be considered as prospective agents in the treatment of addictions and other pathologies associated with oxidative stress.

Organic lithium salts containing anionic components (succinate, fumarate, pyruvate and antioxidant ascorbate) were tested for protection of blood plasma proteins and lipids against ethanol-induced oxidation in vitro. We used normothymic lithium carbonate and well-known antioxidant dipeptide carnosine (b-alanyl-L-histidine) as the reference drugs. The oxidized proteins and lipids were determined by the level of carbonylated proteins (CP) and TBA-reactive products (TBA-RP), respectively. In alcoholic patients the level of oxidized proteins and lipids was higher than in healthy persons. Incubation of blood with ethanol resulted in an increase in oxidized proteins and lipids in blood plasma of healthy persons but had no influence on the level of CP and TBA-RP in blood plasma of alcoholic patients. Lithium carbonate, lithium ascorbate, and lithium succinate exhibited protective action against ethanol-induced oxidation of biomolecules of blood plasma of healthy people. These effects were comparable with carnosine action. The studied compounds had no effect on the level of CP and TBA-RP of blood plasma of alcoholic patients.

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