Topical application of L-carnosine to skeletal muscle excites the sympathetic nerve innervating the contralateral skeletal muscle in rats.

We previously obtained evidence suggesting that physical exercise increases the release of L-carnosine (CAR) from muscles and that CAR affects autonomic neurotransmission and physiological phenomena in rats. It has also been reported that exercise elicits an increase in activity of the sympathetic nerve innervating the skeletal muscle. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of CAR application, onto the surface of the right femoral muscle, on activity of the sympathetic nerve innervating the left femoral muscle, in urethane-anesthetized rats. Topical application of 10 pg (44.2 fmol) of CAR increased either skeletal muscle sympathetic nerve activity (skeletal muscle-SNA) or skeletal muscle blood flow (skeletal muscle-BF) of the contralateral skeletal muscle. Furthermore, thioperamide, a histamine H3-antagonist, inhibited the increase in skeletal muscle-SNA, and butoxamine, a β2-antagonist, abolished the increase in skeletal muscle-BF caused by topical application of CAR. The present results suggest that CAR released from muscles during physical exercise might affect skeletal muscle-SNA and skeletal muscle-BF on the opposite side of the body via a CAR evoked effect in muscles.