Murakami S, Kondo-Ohta Y, Tomisawa K
Medicinal Research Laboratories, Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Ohmiya, Saitama, Japan.
Life Sci. 1999;64(1):83-91. doi: 10.1016/s0024-3205(98)00536-0.
The effects of chronic treatment of taurine on hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis were examined in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet containing 15% fat and 1.25% cholesterol. Taurine was dissolved in drinking water at 1% (w/v) and was given to mice ad libitum during 6 months-feeding of a high-fat diet. Hypercholesterolemia occurred and lipid accumulation on the aortic valve was evident. Taurine treatment lowered serum LDL + VLDL cholesterol by 44% in mice fed a high-fat diet, while it elevated serum HDL cholesterol by 25%. As a result, the atherogenic index, the ratio of HDL to LDL + VLDL was markedly improved. Cholesterol content in the liver also decreased by 19% with taurine. Similar tendencies were seen in mice fed regular chow, but the changes were not significant. The area of aortic lipid accumulation, which served as an index of atherosclerosis, was reduced by 20% with taurine. In the liver, taurine doubled the activity of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase. These observations, together with prior findings, suggest that the cholesterol-lowering action of taurine may relate to the increased conversion of cholesterol to bile acids via stimulation of cholesterol 7a-hydroxylase activity. Thus, chronic treatment of high-fat mice with taurine improves the abnormal profile of the serum lipoproteins, and thereby retards the progression of atherosclerosis.
在喂食含15%脂肪和1.25%胆固醇的高脂饮食的C57BL/6J小鼠中，研究了牛磺酸长期治疗对高胆固醇血症和动脉粥样硬化的影响。牛磺酸以1%（w/v）的浓度溶解于饮用水中，在高脂饮食喂养的6个月期间随意给予小鼠。小鼠出现了高胆固醇血症，主动脉瓣上有明显的脂质堆积。牛磺酸治疗使喂食高脂饮食的小鼠血清低密度脂蛋白+极低密度脂蛋白胆固醇降低了44%，同时使血清高密度脂蛋白胆固醇升高了25%。结果，动脉粥样硬化指数，即高密度脂蛋白与低密度脂蛋白+极低密度脂蛋白的比值得到了显著改善。牛磺酸还使肝脏中的胆固醇含量降低了19%。在喂食普通饲料的小鼠中也观察到了类似的趋势，但变化不显著。作为动脉粥样硬化指标的主动脉脂质堆积面积，牛磺酸使其减少了20%。在肝脏中，牛磺酸使胆固醇7α-羟化酶的活性增加了一倍。这些观察结果与先前的发现一起表明，牛磺酸的降胆固醇作用可能与通过刺激胆固醇7α-羟化酶活性增加胆固醇向胆汁酸的转化有关。因此，用牛磺酸长期治疗高脂小鼠可改善血清脂蛋白的异常谱，从而延缓动脉粥样硬化的进展。
