In Search of New Pharmacological Targets: Beyond Carnosine's Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anti-Aggregation Activities

Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) is a naturally occurring endogenous peptide widely distributed in excitable tissues, such as the heart and brain. Over the years, several beneficial effects of carnosine have been discussed well in scientific literature. In particular, this dipeptide is well-known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aggregation activities. It is of great interest in the context of numerous systemic and neurodegenerative diseases, besides performing important “side activities” such as metal chelation and pH-buffering. Despite a plethora of preclinical and clinical data supporting carnosine’s therapeutic potential, researchers are still searching for new pharmacological targets that better highlight carnosine’s overall multimodal mechanism of action and allow its disease-specific use. The aim of the present mini-review, after quickly summarizing the current knowledge of carnosine biological properties, is to pinpoint the role of some non-canonical factors/pathways positively modulated by this dipeptide, highlighting their perspective role as future pharmacological targets.