title: Carnosine, histidine, and wound healing.
abstract: The relationships among carnosine, histidine, and wound healing were examined in rats fed either 100% or 50% of the reported histidine required for growth. Animals fed the adequate amount of histidine grew more rapidly and more efficiently than did animals on the low-histidine diet. When the rats reached the experimental weight range of 165 to 180 gm, they were anesthetized and wounded with back skin incision; a polyvinylchloride sponge was implanted under the skin before closure of the wound. Seven days after wounding, the histidine-sufficient animals had greater regenerative skin-breaking strength, collagen deposition, and tissue concentrations of free histidine and carnosine. Histidine and carnosine treatment (1 mg/100 gm body weight/day intraperitoneally) for 7 days after wounding increased tissue free-histidine concentrations and brought skin-breaking strength and collagen deposition up to "normal" in the animals on the low-histidine diet but did not further improve healing in the histidine-sufficient animals. Treatment with carnosine was similar, but slightly better than treatment with histidine. The results suggest an interaction between carnosine and stress and implicate carnosine as a histidine reserve in relation to histamine synthesis during trauma.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002336:Carnosine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects; D006639:Histidine / Q000172:deficiency / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D006639:Histidine; D002336:Carnosine