Does carnosine possess direct antioxidant activity?

1. A brief review of development of ideas of the antioxidant activity of carnosine and related compounds is presented. 2. An analysis of the behaviour of carnosine in different models of free radical chain reactions shows that carnosine is a potent hydrophilic antioxidant of a direct non-enzymatic action. 3. It is characteristic of the higher activity of interaction with active hydroxyl radical. 4. However the known biological effects of carnosine cannot be explained only by its anti-oxidant properties.