Anserine
The methylated cousin of carnosine, abundant in poultry and fish muscle — a dietary dipeptide studied for memory, antioxidant and anti-glycation effects
Anserine is a small, naturally occurring dipeptide — beta-alanine joined to a methylated histidine — and the close cousin of carnosine. Both belong to the histidine-dipeptide (imidazole-dipeptide) family that is especially abundant in the fast-twitch muscle of birds and fish, which is why poultry and fish are its main dietary sources. Anserine does several of the same jobs as carnosine: it buffers acid in working muscle, mops up reactive oxygen species as an antioxidant, and, notably, it scavenges reactive carbonyl compounds such as methylglyoxal, protecting proteins from the sugar-damage reactions (glycation) linked to ageing and metabolic disease. In people, randomized trials of a poultry-derived anserine/carnosine supplement found preservation of verbal memory and brain blood flow in older adults, with a signal in mild cognitive impairment, especially in APOE4 carriers. Animal and cell studies add antioxidant, anti-glycation, muscle and lipid-metabolism effects. Anserine is a dietary supplement, not an approved drug; this page records what the published science says and lists no sellers.
Used in human trials: 1.0 g anserine/carnosine (3:1 ratio), Daily, Oral (Trial: verbal memory in healthy older adults) Details ↓
Recommended Dosing
Used in human trials
No manufacturer dose exists for this use: these are amounts given in published trials, not recommendations.
What is it?
Anserine is one of the histidine-containing dipeptides — small peptides built from beta-alanine and a histidine residue — that the body and diet supply in muscle tissue. Its structure is beta-alanyl-N(pi)-methyl-L-histidine: essentially carnosine with a methyl group added to the histidine ring. These imidazole dipeptides are concentrated in fast-contracting muscle, and anserine is especially abundant in the breast meat of poultry and in fish, which are its principal dietary sources.
Functionally, anserine overlaps with carnosine. It acts as an intracellular pH buffer that helps muscle cope with the acid produced during intense, anaerobic effort; it is an antioxidant; and it is a strong scavenger of reactive carbonyl species, most importantly methylglyoxal. Methylglyoxal is a byproduct of sugar metabolism that damages proteins through glycation and drives the formation of advanced glycation end-products, so a dipeptide that neutralises it is of interest for ageing and metabolic disease.
Anserine's most-cited human evidence is in cognition. In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, healthy older adults taking a poultry-derived anserine/carnosine supplement (a 3:1 anserine-to-carnosine formula) for three months showed significant preservation of delayed-recall verbal memory versus placebo, together with lower inflammatory cytokines and, on MRI, less age-related decline in blood flow to the posterior cingulate cortex; a second trial reproduced the memory benefit. A further randomized trial in people with mild cognitive impairment found a benefit on a global dementia-rating measure, most clearly in APOE4 carriers. A narrative review of histidine compounds also reported that anserine may improve physical performance and reduce fatigue, particularly in quick, repetitive activity, while cautioning that the evidence base is still limited.
Mechanistic work in cells and animals fills in how anserine acts. In a human liver cell line it protected against oxidative injury by activating the Keap1-Nrf2 antioxidant pathway and restraining a JNK-caspase-3 apoptosis pathway. In engineered human skeletal-muscle tissue it increased muscle-cell differentiation and contractile force, an effect involving the histamine H1 receptor. And in mouse models of sepsis, anserine — by scavenging methylglyoxal — reduced the carbonyl-stress-driven capillary leak and lowered mortality, with supporting signals from human observational data, pointing to a protective anti-glycation role in critical illness.
Anserine is a naturally occurring dietary dipeptide, sold as a food supplement (often as a poultry- or fish-derived anserine/carnosine extract) rather than an approved medicine. It is generally well tolerated in the trials above, but it is not a drug, no single dose is established here, and Grey Peptides lists no sellers and recommends no source. Nothing here is medical advice; this page records what the published science says.
Mechanism of Action
Anserine is a histidine dipeptide, the methylated analog of carnosine. It buffers intracellular pH in muscle, acts as an antioxidant (in part via the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway), and scavenges reactive carbonyls such as methylglyoxal to limit glycation. Human trials of an anserine/carnosine supplement link it to preserved memory in older adults.
Buffering & antioxidant
Acts as an intracellular pH buffer and antioxidant, activating the Keap1-Nrf2 cytoprotective pathway in cells (PMIDs 40077698, 37755089).
Anti-glycation (carbonyl scavenging)
Scavenges methylglyoxal and limits advanced-glycation-end-product formation, protecting proteins and endothelium (PMID 40107203).
Cognitive & muscle effects
An anserine/carnosine supplement preserved memory and brain perfusion in elderly RCTs; anserine increased human muscle-cell differentiation and contractility via the H1 receptor (PMIDs 26682691, 37255271).
Published Research
These are studies of anserine read from their PubMed records on November 7, 2026: two randomized controlled trials of a poultry-derived anserine/carnosine supplement for memory in older adults and in mild cognitive impairment; a review of histidine compounds and exercise; an animal (and human-data) study of its methylglyoxal-scavenging protection in sepsis; and human-cell studies of its antioxidant and muscle effects. The human cognition evidence used an anserine/carnosine combination.
Anserine/carnosine supplement preserves verbal memory in elderly (RCT)
In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, healthy older adults taking a poultry-derived anserine/carnosine (3:1) supplement for three months showed significant preservation of delayed-recall verbal memory versus placebo, with decreased inflammatory cytokines and, on MRI, suppression of the age-related decline in posterior-cingulate blood flow; a second RCT reproduced the memory benefit (human interventional evidence for the combination).
Anserine/carnosine supplement in mild cognitive impairment (RCT)
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 12-week trial in people with mild cognitive impairment found that an anserine/carnosine supplement improved the global Clinical Dementia Rating versus placebo; benefit was clearest in APOE4-positive subjects (also on the Mini-Mental State Examination), while several other cognitive tests did not differ — a modest, subgroup-weighted human result.
Histidine compounds (anserine, balenine, ergothioneine) and exercise (review)
A narrative review of histidine-containing compounds for exercise concluded that dietary anserine may improve physical performance and reduce fatigue, particularly in quick repetitive activity, with balenine and ergothioneine also showing promise — while cautioning that study diversity and limitations mean ergogenic effects are not yet confirmed and more research is needed.
Anserine scavenges methylglyoxal and reduces sepsis mortality (mice + human data)
Methylglyoxal-derived carbonyl stress contributed to capillary leak and mortality in mouse sepsis models (with supporting human observational data), and the methylglyoxal-scavenging dipeptide anserine reduced advanced-glycation-end-product formation, protected endothelial junctions, and reduced capillary leak and mortality in vivo — framing anserine as a candidate anti-glycation strategy in critical illness (a preclinical result).
Anserine protects human liver cells via the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway
In a human liver cell line under oxidative (tert-butyl hydroperoxide) stress, anserine pretreatment raised survival and glutathione, lowered reactive oxygen species and apoptosis, and up-regulated Nrf2-pathway antioxidant proteins (NQO1, HO-1) while down-regulating JNK/caspase-3 signalling — an antioxidant, cytoprotective mechanism (an in-vitro study).
l-Anserine increases muscle differentiation and contractility (human cells)
In two- and three-dimensional cultures of human skeletal-muscle cells, l-anserine increased myotube diameter, the expression of muscle-differentiation and sarcomere genes, and the contractile force of engineered muscle tissue; a histamine H1-receptor antagonist blunted the effect, implicating H1R in anserine's action on muscle (an in-vitro study).
Dosing Data
Anserine is sold as a dietary supplement, usually as a poultry- or fish-derived anserine/carnosine extract rather than as a standalone anserine dose. The human cognition trials used a fixed anserine/carnosine combination, shown below.
Educational information, not medical advice. Each dose above is tagged with its source: an approved label, a published human study, animal data, or amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.
What a Buyer Needs to Know
What is sold, how it is mixed, stored and taken, and what is known about its safety, quality and legal status. Each part names its source. Where we have none, it says unknown.
What is sold
Unknown: we hold no label and no published test that says what forms or vial sizes Anserine is sold in. A vial's own label is a seller's claim, not a source.
Mixing a vial: a worked example
No worked example: none of the doses on this page is a fixed amount in mg or mcg injected under the skin or into a muscle (the routes given are: oral). There is no home-mixing step to show. The reconstitution calculator does the arithmetic for any vial.
Source: the route and amount of each dose row in Dosing Data below.
Storage before and after mixing
Unknown: no label or published stability study on file says how to store Anserine, before or after mixing. The mixing guide sets out the general rules, with their sources: keep a mixed vial in the fridge, and use it promptly, as the bacteriostatic water label says of any drug dissolved in it. The 28 days often quoted is the limit for an opened multiple-dose vial from a manufacturer, an outer limit set for sterility, not a time a mixed solution has been shown to keep. Nobody has published how long Anserine stays intact once mixed.
How it is taken
As it was given in human studies: Oral (Daily; Trial: verbal memory in healthy older adults).
For injection technique, sites and needle disposal, see the mixing guide.
Source: Used in human trials: the route and frequency of each row in Dosing Data below.
What to expect, and when
How long it stays in the body: not established by a measurement cited on this entry.
How long the doses were given: Trial: verbal memory in healthy older adults: 3 months; Trial: mild cognitive impairment: 12 weeks.
When effects appear: unknown; no source on this page gives a time to effect for Anserine. Results reported in the studies are under Published Research.
Source: Used in human trials, the duration of each row in Dosing Data below.
Side effects, and when to stop or get help
From the Side Effects section: In the human cognition trials, the anserine/carnosine supplement was used without reported safety concerns, consistent with a well-tolerated dietary dipeptide (PMIDs 26682691, 31319510); Like carnosine, orally taken anserine is partly broken down by carnosinase enzymes, which limits how much reaches tissues — a pharmacological consideration, not an adverse effect; The human cognitive benefit comes from an anserine/carnosine combination, so effects cannot be attributed to anserine alone, and some cognitive measures showed no change; It is a supplement, not a treatment; it should not replace medical care for cognitive or other conditions, and product quality is not standardised across sellers. Full list and cautions ↓
When to stop or get help: unknown; no label or trial on file sets rules for stopping Anserine. Treat a severe or unexpected reaction as a reason to stop and see a doctor.
Source: the Side Effects section below (“Anserine is a dietary dipeptide obtained from meat and taken as a food supplement; the points below reflect the trial and research evidence, not a drug safety profile”).
Interactions
Unknown: a PubMed search for human interaction studies of Anserine (reviewed 2026-11-07) found none. Unknown is not the same as safe to combine.
Every peptide's record, with its source: the interaction matrix.
Checking what you bought
Unknown: no published independent test of Anserine products is in our lab-results database yet, so how products sold under this name measure up is not known.
To read a certificate of analysis, paste it into the COA decoder; it checks the measured mass against Anserine's expected mass, 240.3 Da, from this entry's molecular data. Trust & Verification explains what independent testing can and cannot show.
Legal status
US: Dietary Supplement (Not an approved drug: Drugs@FDA and the openFDA label endpoint hold no drug application or label, and FDA GSRS and ChEMBL hold no approved-drug record for anserine (searched November 7, 2026)). Sport: Not on the 2026 List.
Country by country ↓ · Regulatory tracker
Source: this entry's approval status and the WADA Prohibited List, as in Legal Status below.
Side Effects & Contraindications
Reported Side Effects
Anserine is a dietary dipeptide obtained from meat and taken as a food supplement; the points below reflect the trial and research evidence, not a drug safety profile.
Contraindications & Cautions
Anserine is a dietary supplement, not an approved medicine. These points reflect that status.
Legal Status
Anserine is a naturally occurring dietary dipeptide sold as a food supplement; it is not an approved drug.
Frequently Asked Questions
?What is anserine?
A naturally occurring dipeptide (beta-alanyl-N-methyl-histidine), the methylated cousin of carnosine, abundant in poultry and fish muscle. It buffers pH, is an antioxidant, and scavenges the glycation agent methylglyoxal.
?How is it different from carnosine?
Anserine has a methyl group added to carnosine's histidine ring. The two are closely related histidine dipeptides and are often studied and supplemented together (PMID 40077698).
?Does it help memory?
Randomized trials of a poultry-derived anserine/carnosine (3:1) supplement found preserved verbal memory and brain blood flow in older adults, with a signal in mild cognitive impairment, especially APOE4 carriers (PMIDs 26682691, 31319510). The benefit is for the combination and is modest.
?Is it a drug?
No. Anserine is a dietary dipeptide sold as a food supplement, not an approved medicine. Grey Peptides lists no sellers and recommends no source; this page records the published science.
References
- [rct] Hisatsune T, et al. "Effect of Anserine/Carnosine Supplementation on Verbal Episodic Memory in Elderly People." J Alzheimers Dis, 2016;50(1):149-59. PMID: 26682691.
- [rct] Masuoka N, et al. "Effects of Anserine/Carnosine Supplementation on Mild Cognitive Impairment with APOE4." Nutrients, 2019;11(7). PMID: 31319510.
- [review] Jędrejko M, et al. "Anserine, Balenine, and Ergothioneine: Impact of Histidine-Containing Compounds on Exercise Performance-A Narrative Review." Nutrients, 2025;17(5). PMID: 40077698.
- [animal] Schmoch T, et al. "Anserine reduces mortality in experimental sepsis by preventing methylglyoxal-induced capillary leakage." EBioMedicine, 2025;114:105644. PMID: 40107203.
- [mechanism] Chen M, et al. "The Preventive Mechanism of Anserine on Tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide-Induced Liver Injury in L-02 Cells via Regulating the Keap1-Nrf2 and JNK-Caspase-3 Signaling Pathways." Mar Drugs, 2023;21(9). PMID: 37755089.
- [mechanism] Nagai A, et al. "l-Anserine Increases Muscle Differentiation and Muscle Contractility in Human Skeletal Muscle Cells." J Agric Food Chem, 2023;71(23):8952-8958. PMID: 37255271.
- [other] Anserine is the naturally occurring dipeptide beta-alanyl-N(pi)-methyl-L-histidine, the N-methylated analog of carnosine, abundant in the skeletal muscle of poultry and fish and obtained in the diet from meat; its identity, dietary sources and histidine-dipeptide family are described in the review and studies carded on this page (read November 7, 2026).
- [other] US FDA, Drugs@FDA and the openFDA label endpoint, searched November 7, 2026: no drug application and no label record for anserine. It is a naturally occurring dietary dipeptide sold as a food supplement (often as a poultry-derived anserine/carnosine extract), not an approved drug; FDA GSRS and ChEMBL hold no approved-drug record for it.
Sources & Citations
The six studies carded above were read from their PubMed records on November 7, 2026. Anserine's identity (beta-alanyl-N-methyl-histidine, carnosine's methylated analog), its dietary sources, its buffering, antioxidant and methylglyoxal-scavenging (anti-glycation) actions, the human anserine/carnosine memory RCTs, and the muscle and liver-cell mechanisms are from the trials, review and studies carded here; the absence of a US drug approval was checked the same day via Drugs@FDA, openFDA, FDA GSRS and ChEMBL. The human cognition evidence used an anserine/carnosine combination. Grey Peptides sells nothing and links to no vendor.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Talk to a licensed clinician about your own situation.