title: Effects of taurine on signal transduction steps induced during hypertrophy of rat heart myocytes.
abstract: Angiotensin II plays an important role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy. One factor thought to contribute to the trophic activity of angiotensin II in fibroblasts is the elevation in [Ca2+]i. Although this theory has received considerable support in cardiac fibroblasts, it is much more controversial in cardiac myocytes. Therefore, the aim of this report was to examine the effect of several Ca2+ modulators on protein synthesis in neonatal cardiac myocytes. We found that angiotensin II increased both [Ca2+]i and the rate of protein synthesis in isolated myocytes. Both effects were blocked by nifedipine, but only the angiotensin II-mediated increase in [Ca2+]i was inhibited by taurine in a dose-dependent manner. These data support the notion that Ca2+ plays only a permissive role in angiotensin II-mediated stimulation of protein synthesis. By contrast, the ability of taurine to attenuate the positive chronotropic effect, the prolongation of the action potential and the proarrhythmic activity of angiotensin II appear to be linked directly to changes in [Ca2+]i. We conclude that taurine reverses these actions of angiotensin II by altering Ca2+ flux across the cell membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, P.R. China.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tao
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010042:Ouabain / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D012433:Ryanodine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000804:Angiotensin II; D012433:Ryanodine; D013654:Taurine; D010042:Ouabain; D009543:Nifedipine; D002118:Calcium