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Study · Animal study (in vivo) · mouse · 2026

4 results

The Role and Mechanism of Carnosine in Alleviating Type 2 Diabetic Sarcopenia in Mice Through PI3K/AMPK/PGC-1α Signaling Pathway.

Li X, Tian B, Chen Y, Tong H, Chen X, Cheng Z

Biology25 Jun 2026

PMID42450547 (opens in a new tab)PMCIDPMC13359430 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.3390/biology15130999 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-42450547
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Summary

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for over 90% of diabetes cases, and T2DM-related sarcopenia is a growing concern. Carnosine, abundant in human skeletal muscle, helps maintain muscle quality and function. This study investigated whether carnosine deficiency contributes to T2DM-related sarcopenia and whether exogenous carnosine supplementation alleviates muscle atrophy. A mouse model of T2DM sarcopenia was established using streptozotocin combined with a high-fat diet. LC-MS metabolomics revealed a significant reduction in carnosine content in the gastrocnemius muscle of model mice. A C2C12 myotube atrophy model was induced by high-glucose (HG), and qRT-PCR showed altered expression of carnosine metabolism-related enzymes, suggesting disrupted carnosine homeostasis under T2DM conditions. Mechanistic investigations using immunofluorescence, Western blotting, transcriptome sequencing, mitochondrial staining, and molecular docking indicated that carnosine may alleviate high-glucose-induced myotube atrophy through the PI3K/AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway. In vivo, carnosine supplementation increased the number of mitochondria and the proportion of slow muscle fibers in gastrocnemius muscle, ameliorating the atrophic phenotype. These findings suggest that carnosine has potential as a candidate for intervention in T2DM-related sarcopenia, though further validation of its direct molecular targets is required.
CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study4

4 results from studies that gave the peptide. No result from this study comes from people.

  1. 01AnimalAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism

    In diabetic sarcopenia mice, carnosine supplementation increased gastrocnemius mitochondrial numbers.

    In plain wordsIn mice with diabetic muscle loss, carnosine increased mitochondrial numbers in gastrocnemius muscle.

    Peptide
    L-carnosine
    Outcome
    IncreaseMitochondrial number
    Study

    mousen: not reported in source

    Type 2 diabetic sarcopenia
    Outcome group
    Mitochondrial function · Musculoskeletal
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    In vivo, carnosine supplementation increased the number of mitochondria and the proportion of slow muscle fibers in gastrocnemius muscle, ameliorating the atrophic phenotype.
  2. 02AnimalAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism

    In diabetic sarcopenia mice, carnosine increased the proportion of slow muscle fibers in gastrocnemius muscle.

    In plain wordsIn mice with diabetic muscle loss, carnosine increased the proportion of slow muscle fibers in gastrocnemius muscle.

    Peptide
    L-carnosine
    Outcome
    IncreaseSlow muscle fiber proportion
    Study

    mousen: not reported in source

    Type 2 diabetic sarcopenia
    Outcome group
    Muscle injury and repair · Musculoskeletal
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    In vivo, carnosine supplementation increased the number of mitochondria and the proportion of slow muscle fibers in gastrocnemius muscle, ameliorating the atrophic phenotype.
  3. 03AnimalAnimal study (in vivo)Efficacy outcome

    In diabetic sarcopenia mice, carnosine ameliorated the muscle atrophic phenotype.

    In plain wordsIn mice with diabetic muscle loss, carnosine reduced the muscle atrophic phenotype.

    Peptide
    L-carnosine
    Outcome
    DecreaseMuscle atrophic phenotype
    Study

    mousen: not reported in source

    Type 2 diabetic sarcopenia
    Outcome group
    Muscle injury and repair · Musculoskeletal
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    In vivo, carnosine supplementation increased the number of mitochondria and the proportion of slow muscle fibers in gastrocnemius muscle, ameliorating the atrophic phenotype.
  4. 04LabIn vitro (cells)Mechanism

    In C2C12 myotubes, carnosine may alleviate high-glucose-induced atrophy through PI3K/AMPK/PGC-1α signaling.

    In plain wordsIn cells, carnosine may reduce high-glucose-induced muscle cell atrophy through PI3K/AMPK/PGC-1α signaling.

    Peptide
    L-carnosine
    Outcome
    Not applicableMyotube atrophy pathway
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    High-glucose-induced C2C12 myotube atrophy
    Outcome group
    Muscle injury and repair · Musculoskeletal
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Mechanistic investigations using immunofluorescence, Western blotting, transcriptome sequencing, mitochondrial staining, and molecular docking indicated that carnosine may alleviate high-glucose-induced myotube atrophy through the PI3K/AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway.

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

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  1. Version 2Current

    27 Oct 2026, 18:20 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    27 Oct 2026, 16:32 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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