A possible physiological role of taurine in the adult female rat liver.

In agreement with previous results (Awapara, 1956), we noted that the taurine level in the liver of the adult female rat is higher than in the adult male rat: 9.44 and 2.08, respectively, expressed as a concentration (mumoles/g of liver). Furthermore, we observed a significant decrease of the taurine level (expressed similarly) in the liver of the lactating rat: 1.84 twenty-one days after the birth of pups. These observations suggest a physiological role for the higher concentration of taurine in the liver of the adult female rat: in other words, a reserve of taurine, whatever its origin in the adult female rat, may be needed for pup development.