Oxidation of carnosine mediated by singlet oxygen and radical species. Protection in an experimental model of cardiac ischemia

• Grant number: 25/21595-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Metabolism and Bioenergetics
• Principal Investigator: Marisa Helena Gennari de Medeiros
• Grantee: Érica Aiyume Moniz Ueda
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Histidine-containing dipeptides, such as carnosine (CAR), homocarnosine, and L-anserine, are widely distributed in skeletal muscle and the central nervous system (Yeum et al., 2010). However, their physiological functions and mechanisms of action are not yet fully understood. Our group has isolated and characterized reaction products of carnosine with singlet oxygen. In a study involving reperfusion of ischemic rat hearts, it was observed that carnosine protects tissue against damage caused by singlet oxygen. These data were obtained using EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) technique. In this project, we will expand these studies by investigating the possible mechanisms behind this protection through the isolation and quantification of carnosine's reaction products with singlet oxygen and other radical species, both in vitro and in a cellular model of cardiac ischemia.