Skip to main content
Log in

Taurine depletion of lactating rats: Effects on developing pups

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Neurochemical Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Taurine is in high concentration in the milk of most mammals. Intraperitoneal injection of [35S]taurine into lactating rats leads to the appearance of label in the milk, and the dpm/ml milk are significantly decreased by treatment with guanidinoethyl sulfonate (GES), an analog of taurine. Pups nursed by GES-treated mothers have retinal taurine levels about 45% lower than controls during the period from birth to 17 days old suggesting a dependence of retinal taurine on dietary intake during the neonatal period. These deficits in taurine may be associated with visual dysfunction as seen in adult rats depleted of retinal taurine.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Schmidt, S. Y., Berson, E. L., andHayes, K. C. 1976. Retinal degeneration in cats fed casein. I. Taurine deficiency. Invest. Ophthal. Vis. Sci. 15:47–52.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Lake, N. 1981. Taurine in rat retina: developmental studies. Invest. Ophthal. Vis. Sci. 20: ARVO Suppl. 80.

  3. Lake, N. 1981. Abnormal visual function induced by depletion of retinal taurine in rats. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 7:279.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Lake, N. 1982. Is taurine an essential amino acid? Retina 2:261–262.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Rassin, D. K., Sturman, J. A., andGaull, G. E. 1978. Taurine and other free amino acids in milk of man and other mammals. Early Hum. Dev. 2:1–13.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Sturman, J. A., andHayes, K. C. 1980. The biology of taurine in nutrition and development. Adv. Nutr. Res. 3:231–299.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Gaull, G. E., Raissin, D. K., Raiha, N. C. R., andHeinonen, K. 1977. Milk protein quantity and quality in low-birth-weight infants III. Effects on sulfur amino acids in plasma and urine. J. Pediatr. 90:348–355.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Huxtable, R. J., Laird, H. E., andLippincott, S. 1979. The transport of taurine in the heart and the rapid depletion of tissue taurine content by guanidinoethyl sulfonate. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 211:465–471.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Lake, N. 1981. Depletion of retinal taurine by treatment with guanidinoethyl sulfonate. Life Sci. 29:445–448.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Lake, N. 1982. Depletion of taurine in the adult rat retina. Neurochem. Res. 7:1385–1390.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Bradford, M. M. 1976. A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein using the principle of dye-binding. Analyt. Biochem. 72:248–254.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Sturman, J. A., Rassin, D. K., andGaull, G. E. 1977. Taurine in developing rat brain: transfer of35S-taurine to pups via the milk. Pediatr. Res. 11:28–33.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Huxtable, R. J. 1981. Sources and turnover rates of taurine in nursing and weaned rat pups. J. Nutr. 111:1275–1286.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Jacobsen, J. G., andSmith, L. H. 1968. Biochemistry and physiology of taurine and taurine derivatives. Physiol. Rev. 48:424–511.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Jonxis, J. H. P. 1951. The influences of differences in food on the amino acid excretion. Arch. Dis. Child. 26:272.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Jagenburg, O. R. 1959. The urinary excretion of free amino acids and other amino compounds by the human. Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. (Suppl. 43) 11:3–183.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Geggel, H. S., Heckenlively, J. R., Martin, D. A., Ament, M. E., andKopple, J. D. 1981. Human retinal dysfunction with taurine deficiency. Invest. Ophthal. Vis. Sci. 20: ARVO Suppl. 239.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lake, N. Taurine depletion of lactating rats: Effects on developing pups. Neurochem Res 8, 881–887 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00964549

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00964549

Keywords

Navigation