Abstract
A study was made of the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of L-carnosine as well as its wound healing effect by use of synthetic L-carnosine : and the following were found:
1. L-carnosine exerted an inhibitory effect on enhanced vascular permeability induced by the intraperitoneal infusion of acetic acid or bradykinin. The compound proved only 1/5 to 1/20 as inhibitory to enhanced vascular permeability with bradykinin as aminopyrine.
2. L-carnosine, when tested for anti-edematous action by carrageenin-, bradykinin-and dextran-edema methods, proved to exert an effective anti-edematous action.
3. L-carnosine, when tested by the writhing method and Randall and Selitto's method, proved itself to be slightly analgesic. Its analgesic action was about 1/20 as potent as that of aminopyrine.
4. The effect of L-carnosine on granulation was tested by both the formalin-filter paper pellet method and the agar implantation method. The intraperitoneal doses of not less than 32 mg/kg of L-carnosine promoted granulation. This granulation promotive action could not be achieved by the administration of the component amino acids of L-carnosine, namely, L-histidine and β-alanine. Further, the oral doses of not higher than 120 mg/kg of L-carnosine failed to exert an apparent granulation promotive effect.
5. 64 mg/kg of L-carnosine, when subcutaneously infused into rats, apparently improved the wound diminishing rate in the round skin defective wounds (2 cm in diameter) provided in the dorsal region of the animals. Histologic examination further proved that L-carnosine exerted a positive, promotive effect on the wound healing process.
