title: Effect of 2-methyltaurine and its enantiomers on arterial blood pressure.
abstract: Taurine has been shown to exert many biological effects. Among them, the ability of this amino acid to induce a reduction of arterial blood pressure, when administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) to mammals, has been established since a long time ago. To gain further information on the structure-activity requirements for taurine's hypotensive effect, the synthesis of 2-methyltaurine (2-aminopropanesulphonic acid) and the asymmetric synthesis of its enantiomers were performed; the enantiomeric purity of (R)- and (S)-2-methyltaurine was assayed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and HPLC. The findings here reported show that the hypotensive effect elicited by the i.c.v. administration of racemate is mainly due to the (S)-enantiomer. The specificity of this effect was proved by the ability of the taurine antagonist TAG (6-aminomethyl-4H-3-methyl-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxide) to prevent it.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Braghiroli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Truzzi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brandoli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baraldi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gamberini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Bella
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013654:Taurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D013654:Taurine; C103438:2-methyltaurine