Multiple forms of the cobalt(II)-carnosine complex

Abstract

Cobalt(II) ion and L-carnosine produce two different complexes when mixed in aqueous solution at pH 7.2. One complex has coordination of N-3 of the imidazole ring to the cobalt(II) and is produced when the concentration of peptide exceeds that of cobalt(II). The second complex has chelation of three nitrogen atoms of a single carnosine. This second complex produces a reversible oxygen carrier by making stable mixed chelates with additional carnosine, histidine or cysteine. These results indicate that cobalt complexes with mixed ligands should be of more importance in vivo than those with carnosine as the only ligand. They provide an explanation for the high activity and substrate specificity of carnosinase in kidney.