Mechanism Underlying the Membrane-Stabilizing Activity of Taurine

Abstract

Taurine is a β-amino acid found in very high concentration in excitable tissues [1]. Although the amino acid was discovered over 150 years ago, the only established role of taurine is conjugation with bile acids [1]. Yet, recent evidence has led to the view that taurine must have other physiological functions. One idea that has received considerable attention is that taurine serves as a stabilizer of biological membranes. This concept was originally proposed by Huxtable and Bressler [2], who showed that taurine protected sarcoplasmic reticulum from damage caused by either isolation of the membrane fraction or incubation of the membrane preparation with phospholipase C. Kramer et al. [3] provided further support for this hypothesis when they discovered that reduction in cellular damage resulting from the treatment of failing hearts with taurine was associated with an improvement in sarcolemmal function. Membrane stabilization has also been implicated in the ability of taurine to protect rod outer segments against light-induced lipid peroxidation [4], lymphoblastoid cells against iron-ascorbate-induced damage [5], and spermatozoa against loss of motility [6].