【肌肽的價值，繼續的受到重視與科學證明】

（對於文獻資料，張老師以原文摘要與篇名照登的方式與讀者分享）

肌肽的生理學和病理生理學

摘要
      肌肽發現於1900年，是肉類中含量豐富的非蛋白質的含氮化合物。

      本文主要根據生化特性的生理作用來解碼肌肽的角色。包括金屬離子螯合能力、抗氧化能力以及防止形成晚期糖化和脂質氧化終端產物的能力。

      以肌肽補充治療的潛力在許多疾病中，缺血性或氧化傷害等已通過測試。病症類，如糖尿病及其併發症、眼部疾病、衰老和神經障礙，有希望的臨床試驗與臨床結果已被獲得。

http://physrev.physiology.org/content/93/4/1803


Physiology and Pathophysiology of Carnosine

Alexander A. Boldyrev , Giancarlo Aldini , Wim Derave
Physiological Reviews Published 1 October 2013 Vol. 93 no. 1803-1845 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00039.2012
Abstract

Carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine) was discovered in 1900 as an abundant non-protein nitrogen-containing compound of meat. The dipeptide is not only found in skeletal muscle, but also in other excitable tissues. Most animals, except humans, also possess a methylated variant of carnosine, either anserine or ophidine/balenine, collectively called the histidine-containing dipeptides. This review aims to decipher the physiological roles of carnosine, based on its biochemical properties. The latter include pH-buffering, metal-ion chelation, and antioxidant capacity as well as the capacity to protect against formation of advanced glycation and lipoxidation end-products. For these reasons, the therapeutic potential of carnosine supplementation has been tested in numerous diseases in which ischemic or oxidative stress are involved. For several pathologies, such as diabetes and its complications, ocular disease, aging, and neurological disorders, promising preclinical and clinical results have been obtained. Also the pathophysiological relevance of serum carnosinase, the enzyme actively degrading carnosine into l-histidine and β-alanine, is discussed. The carnosine system has evolved as a pluripotent solution to a number of homeostatic challenges. l-Histidine, and more specifically its imidazole moiety, appears to be the prime bioactive component, whereas β-alanine is mainly regulating the synthesis of the dipeptide. This paper summarizes a century of scientific exploration on the (patho)physiological role of carnosine and related compounds. However, far more experiments in the fields of physiology and related disciplines (biology, pharmacology, genetics, molecular biology, etc.) are required to gain a full understanding of the function and applications of this intriguing molecule.