title: Taurine bromamine (TauBr)--its role in immunity and new perspectives for clinical use.
abstract: This review is an attempt to summarize our knowledge about taurine bromamine (TauBr) properties, its role in innate immunity and its therapeutic potential.TauBr and taurine chloramine (TauCl) are major haloamines generated by eosinophils and neutrophils at a site of inflammation. Both haloamines share anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. TauBr, similarly to TauCl, decreases the production of proinflammatory mediators. Their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities are enhanced by their ability to induce the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). TauCl is more stable than TauBr. On the other hand, only TauBr was found to be highly membrane-permeable showing stronger microbicidal activity than TauCl.In the light of the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of TauBr we discuss its therapeutic potential in local treatment of inflammation, especially acne vulgaris, the most common inflammatory skin disorder. TauBr, at non-cytotoxic concentrations, is able to kill Propionibacterium acnes, the skin bacteria involved in pathogenesis of acne vulgaris.As topical antibiotics used in the therapy of acne are associated with the emergence of resistant bacteria, topical TauBr seems to be a good candidate for an alternative therapy.Recently, in a double blind trial, the efficacy of TauBr was compared with the efficacy of clindamycin, one of the most common topical antibiotics used in acne therapy. Comparable reduction of acne lesions was observed in the TauBr and clindamycin groups of patients with mild and moderate inflammatory facial acne vulgaris. We conclude that this pilot study supports our concept that TauBr can be used as a topical agent in the treatment of acne vulgaris, especially in patients who have already developed antibiotic resistance. Further studies are necessary to substantiate the more extended use of TauBr as an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant agent in human medicine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland. mmmarcin@cyf-kr.edu.pl
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marcinkiewicz
mesh_terms: D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D011425:Propionibacterium acnes / Q000187:drug effects; D013654:Taurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D013654:Taurine; C043410:N-chlorotaurine; C052954:N-bromotaurine
references.citation: Br J Dermatol. 2002 Feb;146(2):202-9
references.pmid: 11903228
references.citation: Free Radic Res. 2004 Feb;38(2):167-75
references.pmid: 15104210
references.citation: Immunol Today. 1997 Dec;18(12):577-80
references.pmid: 9425735
references.citation: Amino Acids. 2007;32(3):447-52
references.pmid: 16868648
references.citation: J Invest Dermatol. 2003 Jul;121(1):20-7
references.pmid: 12839559
references.citation: Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2007 Oct;8(15):2625-64
references.pmid: 17931096
references.citation: Immunopharmacology. 1998 Jul;40(1):27-38
references.pmid: 9776476
references.citation: Inflamm Res. 2000 Jun;49(6):280-9
references.pmid: 10939618
references.citation: Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz). 2006 Jan-Feb;54(1):61-8
references.pmid: 16642259
references.citation: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2000 Sep;44(9):2507-13
references.pmid: 10952603
references.citation: J Leukoc Biol. 1990 Aug;48(2):174-82
references.pmid: 2370482
references.citation: Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1987 Jul;37(1):106-10
references.pmid: 3605492
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 1995 Feb 17;270(7):2906-13
references.pmid: 7852368
references.citation: J Clin Invest. 1982 Sep;70(3):598-607
references.pmid: 6286728
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Oct 9;98(21):11961-6
references.pmid: 11593004
references.citation: J Leukoc Biol. 2005 May;77(5):598-625
references.pmid: 15689384
references.citation: Cutis. 2004 Jun;73(6 Suppl):6-10
references.pmid: 15228128
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 2001 Mar 16;276(11):7867-75
references.pmid: 11096071
references.citation: J Leukoc Biol. 1997 Feb;61(2):161-6
references.pmid: 9021921
references.citation: Br J Dermatol. 1989 Jul;121(1):51-7
references.pmid: 2527056
references.citation: Br J Dermatol. 2003 Sep;149(3):590-7
references.pmid: 14510994
references.citation: Amino Acids. 2004 Aug;27(1):29-35
references.pmid: 15309569
references.citation: Inflamm Res. 2005 Jan;54(1):42-9
references.pmid: 15723204
references.citation: Postgrad Med J. 1999 Jun;75(884):328-31
references.pmid: 10435165
references.citation: Eur J Dermatol. 2008 Jul-Aug;18(4):433-9
references.pmid: 18573718
references.citation: Drugs. 2004;64(21):2389-97
references.pmid: 15481998
references.citation: Inflamm Res. 2007 Nov;56(11):479-86
references.pmid: 18224289