title: Review of some actions of taurine on ion channels of cardiac muscle cells and others.
abstract: 1. Taurine has recently been known to protect against ischemia and heart failure. Taurine possesses plenty of actions on the ion channels and transports, but is very non-specific. 2. Taurine may directly and indirectly help to regulate the [Ca]i level by modulating the activity of the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (also dependent on [Ca]i/[Ca]o), by regulation of Na+ channels, and secondly via Na-Ca exchange and Na(+)-taurine cotransport. 3. Taurine can prevent the Ca2+ ([Ca]o or [Ca]i)-induced cardiac functions. 4. Therefore, it seems possible that taurine could exert the potent cardioprotective actions even under the condition of low [Ca]i levels as well as under the Ca2+ overload condition. 5. The electrophysiological actions of taurine on cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells, and neurons from recent studies are summarized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nara Medical University, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sperelakis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051668:Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channels; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D051668:Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channels; D007473:Ion Channels; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D015222:Sodium Channels; D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger; D013654:Taurine