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A central mechanism of action for taurine: Osmoregulation, vivalent cations, and excitation threshold

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Abstract

A postulated zinc-taurine complex, with a zinc affinity intermediate between that for glutamic acid dehydrogenase and the calcium binding protein(s), provides an explanation for a series of seemingly unrelated biochemical and physiological effects of taurine. The proposed complex suggests a central mechanism for the action of taurine, such as a bicarbonate and pH dependent influence on calcium and zinc movements (and vice versa), the osmoregulatory role of taurine, and its effect on the excitation threshold.

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  1. Centre de recherche en sciences neurologiques et Départment de physiologie, Université de Montréal, Succursale A, C.P. 6128, H3C 3J7, Montréal, (Québec), Canada

    N. M. van Gelder

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van Gelder, N.M. A central mechanism of action for taurine: Osmoregulation, vivalent cations, and excitation threshold. Neurochem Res 8, 687–699 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00964706

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