Taurine protects against early and late skeletal muscle dysfunction secondary to ischaemia reperfusion injury.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the efficacy of the cytoprotective B-amino acid taurine in prevention of skeletal muscle dysfunction secondary to ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury.


METHODS
Randomised controlled animal study.


METHODS
Biomedical research laboratory, teaching hospital, Republic of Ireland.


METHODS
96 Sprague Dawley rats.


METHODS
Rats were randomised into three groups (n = 24/group): control (sham); ischaemia-reperfusion (untreated); and ischaemia-reperfusion + taurine. A further 24 rats were given taurine alone. The rat cremaster skeletal muscle model of four hours of ischaemia followed by reperfusion was used. Taurine 4%wt/vol was given in the animals' water throughout the experiment, beginning 48 hours before the ischaemia was initiated.


METHODS
8 rats were killed from each group and muscle contractile function was assessed using electrical field stimulation in a tissue bath at 24 hrs, 48 hrs and 7 days.


RESULTS
Ischaemia followed by 24 hours, 48 hours or 7 days of reperfusion resulted in significant reduction in both muscle twitch and tetanic contractile function (p < 0.05). This was reversed by taurine, which resulted in significant preservation of twitch and tetanic contractility at all time points including one week of reperfusion (p < 0.05). There was no difference in muscle function between muscle treated with taurine after ischaemia-reperfusion and control muscle, with the same operation but without ischaemia, from 48 hours onwards.


CONCLUSIONS
These data show that pharmaceutical use of the endogenous amino acid taurine, unlike many-other agents, protects electrophysiological function in skeletal muscle against both early and late ischaemia-reperfusion injury.
McLaughlin
R
R
Department of Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.
Bowler
D
D
Kelly
C J
CJ
Kay
E
E
Bouchier-Hayes
D
D
D000818:Animals; D004594:Electrophysiology; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013654:Taurine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D013654:Taurine