Carnosine Protects the Brain of Rats and Mongolian Gerbils against Ischemic Injury: After-Stroke-Effect

Abstract

Carnosine, a specific constituent of excitable tissues of vertebrates, exhibits a significant antioxidant protecting effect on the brain damaged by ischemic-reperfusion injury when it was administered to the animals before ischemic episode. In this study, the therapeutic effect of carnosine was estimated on animals when this drug was administered intraperitoneally (100 mg/kg body weight) after ischemic episode induced by experimental global brain ischemia. Treatment of the animals with carnosine after ischemic episode under long-term (7-14 days) reperfusion demonstrated its pronounced protective effect on neurological symptoms and animal mortality. Carnosine also prevented higher lipid peroxidation of brain membrane structures and increased a resistance of neuronal membranes to the in vitro induced oxidation. Measurements of malonyl dialdehyde (MDA) in brain homogenates showed its increase in the after brain stroke animals and decreased MDA level in the after brain stroke animals treated with carnosine. We concluded that carnosine compensates deficit in antioxidant defense system of brain damaged by ischemic injury. The data presented demonstrate that carnosine is effective in protecting the brain in the post-ischemic period.

Carnosine analogues containing NO-donor substructures: Synthesis, physico-chemical characterization and preliminary pharmacological profile

“…Our results are consistent with previous studies showing that exogenously administered carnosine evoked a marked reduction in infarct size when administered before the ischemic injury either in adult and neonatal rat models [49][50][51]. Carnosine has been reported to exert protective effects on neurological symptoms and animal mortality even when injected into the blood stream after the ischemic event [52]. Here for the first time we show that a marked reduction in the mean size of the ischemic area was also measured when two carnosinase-stable derivatives, compound 7e and its des-NO analogue 7a, were administered at 500 mg/kg, without any significant difference among groups.…”

Salsolinol, a tetrahydroisoquinoline-derived neurotoxin, induces oxidative modification of neurofilament-L: protection by histidyl dipeptides

“…3). Recently, carnosine has been shown to protect cultured neurons from oxygen glucose deprivation and to exhibit neuroprotective properties in animal models of global and cerebral ischemia (17,38,39). Therefore, our data suggest that carnosine and anserine may be attractive candidate for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.…”

“…Carnosine also acts as a copper chelator and is known to induce rejuvenating effects, to participate in neuroprotective actions that preserve cell survival, to suppress cell senescence, and to possess anti-cross linking properties (15,16). Several studies suggest that exogenously administrated carnosine has a neuroprotective effects against brain injury resulting from a variety of different causes (17)(18)(19). Additionally, carnosine possesses a low toxicity, as demonstrated in mammalian systems, and it is found exclusively in animal tissues.…”

Effect of Carnosine on Prooxidant^|^ndash;Antioxidant Balance in Several Tissues of Rats Exposed to Chronic Cold Plus Immobilization Stress

“…Previous studies have reported that CAR could inhibit lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation (9 -11). Therefore, CAR may be an effective agent to decrease prooxidant status in oxidative stress-induced pathologies such as ischemia-reperfusion (12,13), liver damage (14,15), and aging (16 -19). In the literature, there is no study investigating the in vivo effect of CAR in chronic stress-exposed rats.…”