Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata-700054, India.
Food Funct. 2012 Dec;3(12):1251-64. doi: 10.1039/c2fo30117b.
Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), a conditionally essential amino acid, is found in large concentrations in all mammalian tissues and is particularly abundant in aquatic foods. Taurine exhibits membrane stabilizing, osmoregulatory and cytoprotective effects, antioxidative properties, regulates intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, modulates ion movement and neurotransmitters, reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in various organs and controls blood pressure. Recently, emerging evidence from the literature shows the effectiveness of taurine as a protective agent against several environmental toxins and drug-induced multiple organ injuries as the outcome of hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, testicular toxicity and cardiotoxicity in several animal models. Besides, taurine is also effective in combating diabetes and its associated complications, including cardiomyopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy and atherosclerosis. These beneficial effects appear to be due to the multiple actions of taurine on cellular functions. This review summarizes the mechanism of the prophylactic role of taurine against several environmental toxins and drug-induced organ pathophysiology and diabetes.
牛磺酸（2-氨基乙磺酸）是一种条件必需氨基酸，大量存在于所有哺乳动物组织中，在水生食物中尤为丰富。牛磺酸具有稳定膜、调节渗透压和细胞保护作用，具有抗氧化特性，可调节细胞内 Ca(2+)浓度，调节离子运动和神经递质，降低各种器官中促炎细胞因子的水平，并控制血压。最近，文献中的新证据表明，牛磺酸作为一种保护剂，可有效对抗多种环境毒素和药物引起的多器官损伤，如肝毒性、肾毒性、神经毒性、睾丸毒性和心脏毒性等，在几种动物模型中。此外，牛磺酸在防治糖尿病及其相关并发症方面也有一定的疗效，包括心肌病、肾病、神经病、视网膜病变和动脉粥样硬化。这些有益的效果似乎是由于牛磺酸对细胞功能的多种作用。本文综述了牛磺酸预防多种环境毒素和药物引起的器官病理生理学和糖尿病的作用机制。
