General: Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid also known as 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid. Taurine is found in high levels in protein-rich foods, such as meat and fish, as well as in breastmilk. Taurine is normally synthesized in the human body in adequate amounts from other amino acids, including cysteine.
Antiepileptic effects: Although the antiepileptic mechanisms of taurine are not yet clear, it has been suggested that taurine can modulate calcium homeostasis. However, the administration of taltrimide (2-phthalimidoethanesulphon-N-isopropylamide), a lipophilic derivative of taurine, to epileptic patients led to increases in seizure frequency. This study also found increases in phenytoin concentration and decreases in serum carbamazepine concentrations during taltrimide treatment.
Antihypertensive effects: Taurine may affect the plasma levels of catecholamines, in particular, causing decreases in plasma epinephrine.
Antioxidant effects: In a human study, lipoperoxidation following coronary artery bypass grafting was reduced, indicating that taurine may be a free-radical scavenger.
Embryo development effects: Taurine at a concentration of 5mM/L has been shown to support the development of human embryos (blastocyte stage) in vitro.
Fat absorption/malnourishment effects: In clinical study, supplementation with taurine altered glycine/taurine bile acid conjugation patterns. This may result in a shift towards a more hydrophilic bile acid pool. Taurine may improve the micellar phase of fat digestion. In clinical trials of human infants, taurine-supplemented formula increased absorption of fat, particularly saturated fat. The same was observed in cystic fibrosis patients supplemented with taurine. Decreased fecal fatty acid excretion, affecting mainly saturated fat and monounsaturated fat, decreased total sterol excretion, and enhanced secretion and conjugation of bile have also been noted in clinical trials involving cystic fibrosis and biliary patients.
Lipid metabolism effects: In human study with healthy subjects, oral supplementation ameliorated increases in total cholesterol and low density low-density lipoprotein, but with the potential tradeoff of elevating very low density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. These effects may be mediated by the effect of taurine on lipoprotein lipase.
Liver disease: A taurine-supplemented diet may enhance the secretion of taurocholic acid, glycocholic acid, taurochenodeoxycholic acid, glycochenodeoxycholic acid, and total bile acid in patients with biliary atresia. In humans in patients undergoing liver transplantation, the conjugation of taurine to ursodeoxycholic acid (tauroursodeoxycholic acid,
TUDCA), did not affect graft function or survival, above immunosuppression therapy alone.
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