Skin beautification with oral non-hydrolized versions of carnosine and carcinine: Effective therapeutic management and cosmetic skincare solutions against oxidative glycation and free-radical production as a causal mechanism of diabetic complications and skin aging

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Carnosine in this randomized controlled trial publication.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of glycation coupled to the glycation free-radical oxidation reactions as markers of protein damage in the aging of skin tissue proteins and diabetes.

A 4-month randomized, double-blind, controlled study was undertaken including 42 subjects where the oral supplement of non-hydrolized carnosine (Can-C Plus® formulation) was tested against placebo for 3 months followed by a 1-month supplement-free period for both groups to assess lasting effects.

Why It Was Studied

Advanced glycation Maillard reaction end products (AGEs) are causing the complications of diabetes and skin aging, primarily via adventitious and cross-linking of proteins.

Long-lived proteins such as structural collagen are particularly implicated as pathogenic targets of AGE processes.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 42 subjects were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are teenagers, young adults, adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, women only.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Carnosine and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Neither the subjects nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Carnosine, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Carnosine group a baseline to be compared against.

The transglycating activity, inhibition of transition metal ions peroxidative catalysts, resistance to hydrolysis of carnosine mimetic peptide-based compounds with carnosinase and the protective effects of carnosine, carcinine and related compounds against the oxidative damage of proteins and lipid membranes were assessed in a number of biochemical and model systems.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Carnosine, Ceruloplasmin, Dermatologic Agents, Diabetes Complications, Free Radicals, Glycation End Products, Advanced and Lysine.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Carnosine in 42 subjects.

The publication is from 2012 (The Journal of dermatological treatment), a journal based in England.

More context: the Carnosine compound page, all human trials.