Protocol to assess the efficacy of carnosine supplementation in mitigating the adverse cardiovascular responses to particulate matter (PM) exposure: the Nucleophilic Defense Against PM Toxicity (NEAT) trial

What Was Tested

This clinical study paper looks at Carnosine.

To test this, the researchers designed the Nucleophilic Defense Against PM Toxicity trial.

Why It Was Studied

These outcomes are believed to originate from pulmonary oxidative stress and the systemic delivery of oxidised biomolecules (eg, aldehydes) generated in the lungs.

Carnosine is an endogenous di-peptide (β-alanine-L-histidine) which promotes physiological homeostasis in part by conjugating to and neutralising toxic aldehydes.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 240 participants taking part.

This trial will enroll 240 participants over 2 years and determine if carnosine supplementation mitigates the adverse effects of PM inhalation.

The participants will have low levels of endogenous carnosine to facilitate identification of supplementation-specific outcomes.

How the Study Was Run

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

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

Some participants received a placebo instead of Carnosine, giving a reference point.

A time span of 2 years appears in the methods.

At enrollment, the researchers will measure several indices of inflammation, preclinical cardiovascular disease and physical function.

Participants will be randomly allocated to carnosine or placebo groups and instructed to take their oral supplement for 12 weeks with two return clinical visits and repeated assessments during times of peak PM exposure (June-September) in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

What Was Measured

These outcomes are believed to originate from pulmonary oxidative stress and the systemic delivery of oxidised biomolecules (eg, aldehydes) generated in the lungs.

The subject headings attached to it are Cardiovascular Diseases, Carnosine, Dietary Supplements, Kentucky and Particulate Matter.

The authors tagged it with the keywords cardiology, clinical trials, toxicology and vascular medicine.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and placebo-controlled study of Carnosine in 240 participants over 2 years.

The publication is from 2020 (BMJ open), a journal based in England.

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