title: Dietary taurine alters ascorbic acid metabolism in rats fed diets containing polychlorinated biphenyls.
abstract: The effect of dietary taurine on ascorbic acid metabolism and hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes was investigated in rats fed diets containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) to determine whether taurine has an adaptive and protective function in xenobiotic-treated animals. Young male Wistar rats (60 g) were fed diets containing 0 or 0.2 g/kg diet PCB with or without 30 g/kg diet of taurine for 14 d. The rats fed the PCB-containing diets had greater liver weight, higher ascorbic acid concentrations in the liver and spleen and greater hepatic cytochrome P-450 contents than control rats that were not treated with PCB (P < 0.01). In PCB-fed rats, urinary ascorbic acid excretion was enhanced, and serum cholesterol concentration (especially HDL-cholesterol) was significantly elevated compared with those in control rats. Dietary taurine significantly potentiated the increases in the urinary excretion of ascorbic acid and the rise in the levels of cytochrome P-450 which were caused by PCB treatment. On the other hand, the supplementation of taurine to control diet did not alter these variables. Taurine may enhance the hepatic drug-metabolizing systems, leading to the stimulation of the ascorbic acid metabolism in rats fed diets containing PCB.
authors.affiliation: School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mochizuki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokogoshi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D013654:Taurine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D013654:Taurine; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D002784:Cholesterol; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D001205:Ascorbic Acid