Carnosine
Carnosine is a peptide, indexed here under Mitochondrial and longevity-associated peptides.
Identity
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Classification | Peptide |
| Primary class | Mitochondrial and longevity-associated peptides |
| CAS registry number | 305-84-0[1] |
| PubChem CID | 439224[1] |
| UniProt accession | Unknown No UniProt query was run in v1. |
| Molecular formula | C9H14N4O3[1] |
| Molecular weight | 226.23 g/mol[1] |
| Amino-acid sequence | Unknown Not reported by the PubChem property set retrieved for this record; no sequence database query was run in v1. |
| Reported half-life | Unknown No pharmacokinetics source was retrieved in v1. PubChem does not carry half-life as a property, so this is recorded as not yet sourced rather than estimated. |
What the cited literature examines
Carnosine is the endogenous dipeptide beta-alanyl-L-histidine. A 2013 Physiological Reviews article covers its physiology and pathophysiology, a 1970 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology paper surveys carnosine and related substances in animal tissues, a 1988 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper reports antioxidant activity of carnosine, homocarnosine and anserine in muscle and brain, and a 1992 Molecular Aspects of Medicine review covers its properties and functions.
Much of the retrieved set concerns muscle carnosine and its precursor beta-alanine: 2006 and 2007 Amino Acids papers report the absorption of orally supplied beta-alanine and its effect on muscle carnosine synthesis and on high-intensity cycling capacity, a 2007 Journal of Applied Physiology paper reports muscle carnosine content and fatigue during repeated contractions, and a 2020 Amino Acids review places it among dietary compounds in human nutrition. Metabolic records include a 2005 Diabetes paper on a carnosinase gene variant in diabetic nephropathy and a 2005 European Journal of Pharmacology paper in diabetic mice; a 2006 Biochemistry paper reports chlorine transfer reactions of carnosine chloramines.
[3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]Reported mechanism
An endogenous dipeptide; the retrieved records report antioxidant and chloramine-scavenging chemistry and a role as an intramuscular buffer whose content rises with beta-alanine intake.
[5, 7]Stated in the titles of the cited 1988 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and 2006 Amino Acids papers.
Targets named in the cited records: reactive oxygen and chlorine species, intramuscular pH buffering.
FDA application register
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned no application records for this compound name. This compound is not approved by the FDA for human use.[2]
Scope statement: this records the result of a single automated query against the openFDA drugsfda endpoint on the stated date. It is not legal advice and is not a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction legality assessment.
Retrieved 2026-10-09.
Amounts reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset states an amount, so none is shown. Where an amount is recorded it is what a named study reported administering in its own stated model, in the past tense, and is not a protocol.
No study-reported dose was taken from a source read in v1. Literature-reported values are only recorded where the retrieved citation metadata states the figure.
Adverse effects reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset reports an adverse effect for this compound, so no row is shown. Absence of a row records the absence of a retrieved report, nothing more.
No adverse-effect row was taken from a source read in v1. Rows are only recorded with the study model named and the reporting citation attached.
Other names
Carnosine appears under these other names in the cited records or in common usage. Each one resolves to this page rather than to a separate page of its own.
- L-carnosine
- beta-alanyl-L-histidine
Where this page sits
Research records
Cited research records for Carnosine, each with its identifier, the publication type it is indexed as, and the study model stated by its assigned subject headings.
Compounds indexed next to it
- Glutathione — Mitochondrial and longevity-associated peptides
- Epitalon — Mitochondrial and longevity-associated peptides
Class page: Mitochondrial and longevity-associated peptides. Full index: all indexed compounds.
Questions this page answers
What does the cited literature examine for Carnosine?
Carnosine is the endogenous dipeptide beta-alanyl-L-histidine. A 2013 Physiological Reviews article covers its physiology and pathophysiology, a 1970 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology paper surveys carnosine and related substances in animal tissues, a 1988 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper reports antioxidant activity of carnosine, homocarnosine and anserine in muscle and brain, and a 1992 Molecular Aspects of Medicine review covers its properties and functions.
Which class is Carnosine indexed under?
Carnosine is indexed under Mitochondrial and longevity-associated peptides. This class groups peptides whose retrieved literature concerns mitochondrial function or ageing endpoints.
What does the FDA application register show for Carnosine?
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned no application records for this compound name. This compound is not approved by the FDA for human use.
Sources
- PubChem Compound Summary for CID 439224, Carnosine. PubChem, National Library of Medicine (2026). pubchem:439224
- Drugs@FDA application register query for this compound, no application records returned. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA drugsfda endpoint (2026). fda:carnosine
- Physiology and pathophysiology of carnosine. Physiological reviews (2013). pmid:24137022
- Carnosine and related substances in animal tissues. Comparative biochemistry and physiology (1970). pmid:4988625
- Antioxidant activity of carnosine, homocarnosine, and anserine present in muscle and brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (1988). pmid:3362866
- Carnosine: its properties, functions and potential therapeutic applications. Molecular aspects of medicine (1992). pmid:9765790
- The absorption of orally supplied beta-alanine and its effect on muscle carnosine synthesis in human vastus lateralis. Amino acids (2006). pmid:16554972
- Influence of beta-alanine supplementation on skeletal muscle carnosine concentrations and high intensity cycling capacity. Amino acids (2007). pmid:16868650
- beta-Alanine supplementation augments muscle carnosine content and attenuates fatigue during repeated isokinetic contraction bouts in trained sprinters. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) (2007). pmid:17690198
- Important roles of dietary taurine, creatine, carnosine, anserine and 4-hydroxyproline in human nutrition and health. Amino acids (2020). pmid:32072297
- Carnosine as a protective factor in diabetic nephropathy: association with a leucine repeat of the carnosinase gene CNDP1. Diabetes (2005). pmid:16046297
- Histidine and carnosine delay diabetic deterioration in mice and protect human low density lipoprotein against oxidation and glycation. European journal of pharmacology (2005). pmid:15878720
- Evidence for rapid inter- and intramolecular chlorine transfer reactions of histamine and carnosine chloramines: implications for the prevention of hypochlorous-acid-mediated damage. Biochemistry (2006). pmid:16800640
On each stated value was matched to the record cited for it. That is record matching, not an appraisal of the research. Compiled and checked by: Peptide Monographs editorial desk. No qualified clinical reviewer.