Carcinine was originally discovered in the cardiac tissue of the crustacean Carcinus maenas. Both carnosine (G-1250) and carcinine act as natural antioxidants with hydroxyl-radical-scavenging and lipid-peroxidase activities. Unlike carnosine, carcinine is not a substrate for carnosinase or other dipeptidases. Therefore it may play a greater role in the prolongation and potentiation of physiological responses to the therapeutical treatments. Carcinine forms complexes with Cu(II).