title: Effect of taurine on human fetal neuron cells: proliferation and differentiation.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of taurine on human fetal brain neuron cell proliferation and differentiation using a glial-free, pure cerebral neuronal culture grown in a serum-free environment. We found that taurine was necessary for neuronal survival and neurite extension. Taurine, on the other hand, has a trophic effect on the human fetal brain cell, promoting both proliferation and differentiation. Results showed that DNA synthesis of the neurons was increased in a dose-dependent manner when neurons were cultured in the medium containing taurine (100-6400 microM). The protein content of neuronal cells was also significantly increased in the neurons treated with taurine as compared to the control. At day 15, the expression of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was only detected in the neurons cultured in the medium containing taurine. These results establish taurine as a putative human fetal brain neurontrophic factor in the process of human brain development.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, CAPM, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X C
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Z L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D016501:Neurites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D013654:Taurine; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase