The protective properties of carnosine and beta-cyclodextrin in photoreactions of nucleic acid bases

Carnosine and related compounds were tested for protection of thymine in photoreduction by thr combined action of UV light and hypophosphite. Carnosine. homocarnosine and anserine were found to be the best protectors sufficiently preserving thymine photoconversion at 10 mM and practically Fully suppressing the reaction at 50 mM. The action of compounds tested for thymine protection was as follows: anserine > homocarnosine > camosine much greater than histidine = N-methylimidazole > histamine much greater than imidazole. It was also shown that beta-cyclodextrin effectively protects thymine in TpT against the action of UV light and NaH2PO2.