Anserine/Carnosine Supplementation Suppresses the Expression of the Inflammatory Chemokine CCL24 in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Elderly People.

Our goal was to determine whether anserine/carnosine supplementation (ACS) suppresses chemokine levels in elderly people. In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, volunteers were assigned to the ACS or placebo group (1:1). Sixty healthy elderly volunteers (active, = 30; placebo, = 30) completed the study. The ACS group was administered 1.0 g of anserine/carnosine (3:1) for 3 months. A microarray analysis and subsequent quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) showed decreased expression of CCL24, an inflammatory chemokine ( < 0.05). Verbal memory, assessed using the Wechsler memory scale-logical memory, was preserved in the ACS group. An age-restricted sub-analysis showed significant verbal memory preservation by ACS in participants who were in their 60s (active, = 12; placebo, = 9; = 0.048) and 70s (active, = 7; placebo, = 11; = 0.017). The suppression of CCL24 expression was greatest in people who were in their 70s ( < 0.01). There was a significant correlation between the preservation of verbal memory and suppression of CCL24 expression in the group that was in the 70s (Poisson correlation, = 0.46, < 0.05). These results suggest that ACS may preserve verbal episodic memory, probably owing to CCL24 suppression in the blood, especially in elderly participants.