[The effect of carnosine on hematopoietic stem cell activity in irradiated animals]

Carnosine given to adult animals together with potable water one day prior to gamma-irradiation or injected in a single intraperitoneal dose one hour after irradiation enhances colony formation by haemopoietic stem cells migrating from the bone marrow to the spleen. In young animals with a high colony-forming activity carnosine either decreases or does not influence at all the efficiency of colony production.