Beneficial effect of intravenous taurine infusion on electroretinographic disorder in taurine deficient rats.
We investigated the effect of intravenous taurine infusion on the electroretinogram (ERG) of taurine-deficient rats produced by treatment with guanidinoethyl sulfonate (GES), a taurine transport inhibitor. Mother rats were fed a taurine-free diet and given drinking water containing 1% GES from 2 weeks of gestation to weaning. The same feeding conditions were applied to male offspring after weaning. Both ERG measurement and continuous infusion of taurine at a dose of 10, 30 or 100 mg/animal/day were performed for 3 weeks from 7 to 10 weeks of age. GES-treatment reduced a- and b-wave amplitudes to 50% of the control levels and also increased b-wave latencies. Intravenous infusion of taurine improved these ERG abnormalities in a dose-dependent manner. Taurine concentrations in plasma, eyes and brain were also decreased by treatment with GES, and dose-dependent recovery was observed after infusion with taurine, although the concentrations of other amino acids were not affected by GES-treatment and infusion of taurine. Observations of morphological changes revealed that the retinal damage in GES-treated animals was decreased by taurine infusion. These results indicate that the changes in ERG and retinal structure observed in taurine deficiency are improved by intravenous infusion of taurine.
Shimada
C
C
Research and Development Center, Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., Osaka, Japan.
Tanaka
S
S
Hasegawa
M
M
Kuroda
S
S
Isaka
K
K
Sano
M
M
Araki
H
H
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004596:Electroretinography; D005260:Female; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013654:Taurine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000596:Amino Acids; D013654:Taurine; C009558:taurocyamine