title: Effect of taurine on the concentrations of glutamate, GABA, glutamine and alanine in the rat striatum and hippocampus.
abstract: Taurine, a non-protein amino acid, acts as an osmoregulator and inhibitory neuromodulator in the brain. Here we studied the effects of intraperitoneal injections of taurine on the concentrations of glutamate and GABA, and their precursors, glutamine and alanine, in the rat striatum and hippocampus. Injections of 0.25, 0.5 and 1 g/kg taurine led to a gradual increase in taurine tissue concentrations in both hippocampus and striatum. Glutamate and GABA also increased in the hippocampus, but not in the striatum. Glutamine increased and alanine decreased markedly in both brain structures. The results corroborate the neuromodulatory role of taurine in the brain. Taurine administration results in an imbalance in inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission in the glutamatergic (hippocampus) and GABAergic (striatum) brain structures, affecting more markedly the neurotransmitter precursors.
authors.affiliation: University of Tampere, Medical School, Brain Research Center, FI-33014 University of Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Svetlana M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Molchanova
authors.forename: Simos S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Oja
authors.forename: Pirjo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saransaari
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000378:metabolism; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002712:Chlorides / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D002712:Chlorides; D005973:Glutamine; D013654:Taurine; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000409:Alanine