ACTION OF CARNOSINE AND BETA-ALANINE ON WOUND-HEALING

  • 1 November 1986
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 100  (5) , 815-821
Abstract
In rats treat-given hydrocortisone to suppress healing, tensile strength of the skin at the site of an incision wound was significantly higher in rats locally treated with carnosine than in untreated animals. Similar effects on the tensile strength of the skin were observed by the administration of .beta.-alanine and histidine, but not of .beta.-alanine alone. Exogenous carnosine was degraded in the body by carnosinase and histidine decarboxylase to yield histamine. Since .beta.-alanine, the other degradation product of carnosine, was found to stimulate the biosynthesis of nucleic acids and collagen, histamine derived from carnosine is considered to have enhanced the process of wound healing by stimulating effusion at the initial stage of inflammation. Thus, the enhancement by carnosine of wound healing may be ascribed to stimulation of early effusion by histamine and of collagen biosynthesis by .beta.-alanine. The wound-healing effects of carnosine were further demonstrated by the observation that carnosine significantly increased granulation suppressed by cortisone, mitomycin C, 5-fluorouracil, and bleomycin.