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REVIEW

In Search of New Pharmacological Targets: Beyond Carnosine’s Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anti-Aggregation Activities

Giuseppe Carota1, Lucia Di Pietro2,3, Vincenzo Cardaci4, Anna Privitera1,2, Francesco Bellia1, Valentina Di Pietro5, Giuseppe Lazzarino1, Barbara Tavazzi6, Angela Maria Amorini1, Giacomo Lazzarino6, Giuseppe Caruso6,7,*
1 Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, 95123, Italy
2 Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, 95123, Italy
3 Scuola Superiore di Catania, University of Catania, Catania, 95123, Italy
4 Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, 20132, Italy
5 School of Infection, Inflammation & Immunology, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
6 Departmental Faculty of Medicine, UniCamillus—Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Rome, 00131, Italy
7 IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, 30126, Italy
* Corresponding Author: Giuseppe Caruso. Email: email
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Macrophages and Microglia Dysfunction in Systemic and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets)

BIOCELL https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2025.062176

Received 12 December 2024; Accepted 06 February 2025; Published online 20 February 2025

Abstract

Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) is a naturally occurring endogenous peptide widely distributed in excitable tissues, such as the heart and brain. Over the years, several beneficial effects of carnosine have been discussed well in scientific literature. In particular, this dipeptide is well-known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aggregation activities. It is of great interest in the context of numerous systemic and neurodegenerative diseases, besides performing important “side activities” such as metal chelation and pH-buffering. Despite a plethora of preclinical and clinical data supporting carnosine’s therapeutic potential, researchers are still searching for new pharmacological targets that better highlight carnosine’s overall multimodal mechanism of action and allow its disease-specific use. The aim of the present mini-review, after quickly summarizing the current knowledge of carnosine biological properties, is to pinpoint the role of some non-canonical factors/pathways positively modulated by this dipeptide, highlighting their perspective role as future pharmacological targets.

Keywords

Carnosine; pharmacological targets; nitric oxide; TGF-β1; fractalkine; insulin-degrading enzyme; N-methyltransferase; energy metabolism
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