ANTIOXIDATIVE ACTIVITY OF CYCLOHISTIDYLPROLINE

The antioxidative defense system is an important physiological system responsible for adapting living organisms to existence under aerobic conditions. This system protects vitally important compounds (lipids, proteins, DNA, RNA, etc.) against the damaging action of oxygen and of its activated forms [7]. Disturbances of the antioxidative defense system lead to severe pathological changes and to reactions of free radical oxidative destruction of membrane lipids and other biomolecules through the influence of activated forms of oxygen [7, 8]. The highest level of oxidative metabolism in vertebrates is characteristic of skeletal muscles and brain. These tissues also are distinguished by a relatively high content of various bioantioxidants, including ~-tocopherol (vitamin E), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), glutathione, and also carnosine and its related compounds [i, 9, i0].