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Profiling histidine dipeptides in plasma and urine after ingesting beef, chicken or chicken broth in humans

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Abstract

The in vitro metabolic stability of histidine-dipeptides (HD), carnosine (CAR) and anserine (ANS), in human serum, and their absorption kinetics after ingesting pure carnosine or HD rich foods in humans have been investigated. Healthy women (n = 4) went through four phases of taking one dose of either 450 mg of pure carnosine, 150 g beef (B), 150 g chicken (C), or chicken broth (CB) from 150 g chicken with a >2-week washout period between each phase. Blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, 100, 180, 240, and 300 min, and urine samples before and after (up to 7 h) ingesting pure carnosine or food. Both plasma and urine samples were analyzed for HD concentrations using a sensitive and selective LC–ESI-MS/MS method. CAR was undetectable in plasma after ingesting pure carnosine, B, C or CB. By contrast, plasma ANS concentration was significantly increased (P < 0.05) after ingesting C or CB, respectively. Urinary concentrations of both CAR and ANS were 13- to 14-fold increased after ingesting B, and 14.8- and 243-fold after CB ingestion, respectively. Thus, dietary HD, which are rapidly hydrolyzed by carnosinase in plasma, and excreted in urine, may act as reactive carbonyl species sequestering agents.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number 581950-9-001. Any opinions, findings, conclusion, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jean Mayer USDA, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, 711 Washington St., Boston, MA, 02111, USA

    Kyung-Jin Yeum & Helen Rasmussen

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Marica Orioli, Luca Regazzoni, Marina Carini & Giancarlo Aldini

  3. Office of Director, National Institutes of Health, Washington DC, USA

    Robert M. Russell

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  1. Kyung-Jin Yeum
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  2. Marica Orioli
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  3. Luca Regazzoni
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  4. Marina Carini
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Correspondence to Kyung-Jin Yeum.

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Yeum, KJ., Orioli, M., Regazzoni, L. et al. Profiling histidine dipeptides in plasma and urine after ingesting beef, chicken or chicken broth in humans. Amino Acids 38, 847–858 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-009-0291-2

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