Carnosine and its Possible Roles in Cataract

Carnosine occurs naturally in the body’s muscle and nervous tissues and is formed by the amino acids alanine and histidine. It is found in relatively high amounts in several body tissues in skeletal muscle, heart muscle, and brain. In recent years Russian researcher have been researching an analogue of the di-peptide carnosine called NAC (n-acetylcarnosine) which they claim to be effective in the therapy of cataract.

N-acetylcarnosine and Cataracts

L-carnosine  protects proteins in the eye from harm caused by MDA (malondialdehyde) and stops malondialdehyde from inducing cross-linking. Carnosine is efficacious at treating senile cataracts, and at slowing down cataract development. The glycation process can change lens proteins and significantly contribute to diabetic cataract formation and retinopathy. New researches suggests that the most substantial action of carnosine is its anti-glycation impact. Glycation can be called as the binding of a protein molecule to a glucose molecule resulting in the formation of damaged, nonfunctioning structures. Glycation alters protein structure and reduces biological activity. Glycated proteins, which accumulate in affected tissue. Several  age-related ailments such as cataract, are  partially attributable to glycation.

eyeCarnosine containing eyedrops have showed effectiveness in treating a different of ophthalmic problems, including corneal diseases, increased intraocular pressure, glaucoma and cataracts, and impaired vision from any cause. Explained that researches out of  Italy and Russia has shown that, l-carnosine, may be all that’s needed to dissolve cataracts, improve vision, and prevent redundant surgery. A new treatment for cataracts is NAC (N-acetylcarnosine). NAC has a highly statistical and very important clinical success rate for patients within 3-12 months of therapy. This therapy was improved by opthalmologist Dr. Babizhayev in Moscow. Many of the researches demonstrating the effectiveness of carnosine in preventing or treating cataracts in humans has been done by Dr. Babizhayev. Application of a 1 percent solution of N-acetylcarnosine to the eyes has dissolved cataracts. This works by preventing and reversing cross linking of the lens proteins that produces opacification and impaired vision. In 6 months, 90 percent of participants had developed vision. In 1994, scientists from the “Moscow Helmholtz Research Institute of  Eye Diseases” linked the antioxidant effects of this compound to the possible for prevention or partially reversing cataract development.

A canine study using 1.0% NAC in its patented formulation used 30 dogs in the treatment group, 15 dogs in placebo-controlled group, and 10 dogs without therapy. After six months of therapy, 96% of eyes in the treatment group demonstrated healing in the slit image and retroillumination photographs. In 2009 a trial of 75 patients with cataracts and 72 without, 1.0% NAC was instilled daily for nine months. In both groups visual acuity and reduction in glare sensitivity reached statistical significance at nine months. Researchers in China explained that carnosine-containing eyedrops used to treat 96 cataract patients over 60 years of age resulted in 100 % healing in primary senile cataract, and 80 % in those with mature senile cataract. A Russian trial was designed to document and quantify the changes in lens clarity over a 6 to 24 month period for 49 participants. Participants average age was 65 and all suffered from senile cataract of a minimal to advanced opacification. The subjects received either a 1% solution of NAC eye-drops or a placebo, as 2-drops twice a day into each eye. At six months, 88 % of all eyes treated with NAC had an amelioration of glare sensitivity. 41 % of all eyes treated with NAC had a important amelioration of the transmissivity of the lens, and 90% of the eyes treated with NAC demonstrated an healing in visual acuity.

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