Taurine stimulates ATP-dependent Ca(2+) uptake in the rat rod outer segments (ROS). This stimulation has been linked to the function of the cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel, implying an important physiologic role for taurine in visual signal transduction. Calmodulin (CaM) has been reported to affect taurine transport in the choroid plexus and also to inhibit the cyclic nucleotide-gated ch...

Taurine is one of most abundant free amino acids in mammalian tissue. It has been used for various health functional foods as a main ingredient in food industry. A 33-year-old female patient repeatedly experienced generalized itching, urticaria, dyspnea and dizziness after drinking taurine-containing drinks. The patient showed positive response to oral challenge tests with taurine-containing dr...

The status and potential functions of taurine in the retina have been reviewed. Taurine is present in high concentrations in the retina of all species tested, while the retinal concentrations of the enzymes necessary to synthesize taurine are presumed to vary among those species. The documented low activity of cysteinesulfinic acid decarboxylase, a key enzyme in taurine biosynthesis, in the liv...

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration occurs in numerous retinal diseases leading to blindness, either as a primary process like in glaucoma, or secondary to photoreceptor loss. However, no commercial drug is yet directly targeting RGCs for their neuroprotection. In the 70s, taurine, a small sulfonic acid provided by nutrition, was found to be essential for the survival of photoreceptors, bu...

One of the many functions of taurine is to protect cells against oxidation, by protecting mitochondrial integrity and respiration. Taurine metabolism has attracted much attention in fish nutrition due to the fact that as plant ingredients replace fishmeal, dietary taurine has declined. As the endogenous synthesis of taurine might be too low to protect cells against oxidative stress and apoptosi...

PURPOSE To characterize in SV40-immortalized human corneal epithelial cells (tHCEC) osmosensitive taurine transporter gene and protein expression as well as its functional activity. To evaluate whether medium supplementation with taurine improves cell viability during a hypertonic challenge. METHODS tHCEC were preincubated for up to 48 hours in hypertonic DMEM medium (i.e., up to 500 mosmol/k...

Taurine occurs in high concentrations in muscle and is implicated in numerous physiological processes, yet its effects on many aspects of contractility remain unclear. Using mechanically skinned segments of human vastus lateralis muscle fibers, we characterized the effects of taurine on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ accumulation and contractile apparatus properties in type I and type II fibe...

Taurine exists free in the organs of many animals (14) and also in combined form, as in the bile salts. The composition of bile salts from over 100 animal species was recently reported, and taurine was the most commonly occurring conjugate (5). The large amount of taurine present in certain tissues seems to be in excess of the amount needed for the formation of bile salts. Moreover, taurine is ...

the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of taurine supplementation for two weeks and three sessions of 90 minutes of intense intermittent exercise on some serum cytokines responses in well-trained soccer players. therefore, 24 football players under 24 years old from soccer league were selected and divided randomly into taurine (tg=8), placebo (pg=8) and control (cg=8) groups. tg co...

We studied the role of diminished sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity and endogenous opiate activation in the hypotensive action of taurine, a sulfur amino acid, in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. Supplementation of taurine could prevent the development of DOCA-salt hypertension in rats, but failed to change blood pressure in vehicle-treated control rats. Cardia...