Quinn P J, Boldyrev A A, Formazuyk V E
Biochemistry Department, King's College London, U.K.
Mol Aspects Med. 1992;13(5):379-444. doi: 10.1016/0098-2997(92)90006-l.
Carnosine and related dipeptides such as anserine are naturally-occurring histidine-containing compounds. They are found in several tissues most notably in muscle where they represent an appreciable fraction of the total water-soluble nitrogen-containing compounds. The biological role of these dipeptides are conjectural but they are believed to act as cytosolic buffering agents. Numerous studies have demonstrated, both at the tissue and organelle level, that they possess strong and specific antioxidant properties. Carnosine and related dipeptides have been shown to prevent peroxidation of model membrane systems leading to the suggestion that they represent water-soluble counterparts to lipid-soluble antioxidants such as alpha-tocopherol in protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. Other roles ascribed to these dipeptides include actions as neurotransmitters, modulation of enzymic activities and chelation of heavy metals. Many claims have been made in respect of therapeutic actions of carnosine and histidine-containing dipeptides. These include antihypertensive effects, actions as immunomodulating agents, wound healing and antineoplastic effects. Many of these claims have not been convincingly documented nor subject to rigorous clinical evaluation. Nevertheless, there are examples where studies have shown considerable promise. One is the treatment of senile cataract in dogs and another is in acceleration of healing of surface wounds and burns to the skin. It is clear from this review that many of the effects of these histidine-containing dipeptides, especially in regard to claims for their therapeutic effects, need to be subjected to critical experimental and clinical examination. Several applications do, however, show clear evidence of being useful therapeutic agents.
肌肽及相关二肽（如鹅肌肽）是天然存在的含组氨酸化合物。它们存在于多种组织中，最显著的是肌肉，在肌肉中它们占总水溶性含氮化合物的相当一部分。这些二肽的生物学作用尚不确定，但据信它们可作为胞质缓冲剂。大量研究已在组织和细胞器水平上表明，它们具有强大且特异的抗氧化特性。肌肽及相关二肽已被证明可防止模型膜系统的过氧化，这表明它们在保护细胞膜免受氧化损伤方面相当于脂溶性抗氧化剂（如α-生育酚）的水溶性对应物。赋予这些二肽的其他作用包括作为神经递质、调节酶活性以及螯合重金属。关于肌肽和含组氨酸二肽的治疗作用已有许多说法。这些作用包括降压作用、作为免疫调节剂的作用、伤口愈合和抗肿瘤作用。这些说法中的许多尚未得到令人信服的记录，也未经过严格的临床评估。然而，有一些研究显示出相当大的前景。一个例子是治疗犬的老年性白内障，另一个例子是加速皮肤表面伤口和烧伤的愈合。从这篇综述中可以清楚地看出，这些含组氨酸二肽的许多作用，尤其是关于它们治疗作用的说法，需要进行严格的实验和临床检验。不过，有几个应用确实显示出明显的证据表明它们是有用的治疗剂。
