Lehmann A, Knutsson L, Bosaeus I
Institute of Neurobiology, University of Göteborg, Sweden.
J Nutr. 1990 Oct;120(10):1163-70. doi: 10.1093/jn/120.10.1163.
In taurine-deficient cats, the secretion of bile acids is impaired, and this impairment may reduce intestinal uptake of lipophilic vitamins. It was therefore hypothesized that retinol deficiency is involved in the generation of retinal lesions in taurine-deficient kittens. To this end, the concentration of retinol in plasma and liver was determined in taurine-deficient kittens. Further, the effects of taurine deficiency on amino acid concentrations of heart, liver and kidney were investigated. To see whether taurine deficiency adversely affects the liver, hepatic enzymes were measured in plasma and liver of kittens suffering from taurine deficiency. In addition, liver morphology, growth and food intake were studied. Taurine was the only amino acid whose concentration was consistently decreased in plasma of the experimental group. Unexpectedly, retinol level was increased in plasma and liver from taurine-depleted kittens. Several alterations were noted in amino acid concentrations in liver and kidney, but not in heart. Plasma alanine aminotransferase activity was diminished, probably reflecting decreased activity in the liver. Perivenular steatosis was found in both groups. Controls grew linearly, in contrast to deficient animals, which nevertheless consumed more food. The results demonstrate that retinol deficiency is not involved in taurine-deficiency retinopathy. Moreover, taurine is required for linear growth of juvenile cats and for the maintenance of hepatic and renal pools of certain amino acids.
在牛磺酸缺乏的猫中，胆汁酸的分泌受损，这种损害可能会降低肠道对脂溶性维生素的摄取。因此，有人推测维生素A缺乏与牛磺酸缺乏的小猫视网膜病变的发生有关。为此，测定了牛磺酸缺乏小猫血浆和肝脏中的维生素A浓度。此外，还研究了牛磺酸缺乏对心脏、肝脏和肾脏氨基酸浓度的影响。为了观察牛磺酸缺乏是否会对肝脏产生不利影响，测定了牛磺酸缺乏小猫血浆和肝脏中的肝酶。此外，还研究了肝脏形态、生长和食物摄入量。牛磺酸是实验组血浆中浓度持续降低的唯一氨基酸。出乎意料的是，牛磺酸缺乏小猫的血浆和肝脏中维生素A水平升高。在肝脏和肾脏的氨基酸浓度中发现了一些变化，但在心脏中没有。血浆丙氨酸转氨酶活性降低，这可能反映了肝脏中活性的降低。两组均发现小叶周边脂肪变性。对照组呈线性生长，与之相反，缺乏组的动物虽然消耗更多食物但并非如此。结果表明，维生素A缺乏与牛磺酸缺乏性视网膜病变无关。此外，幼猫的线性生长以及维持肝脏和肾脏中某些氨基酸库需要牛磺酸。
