Abstract
Taurine (tau) is the most abundant amino acid in the heart, where it is involved in the regulation of calcium homeostasis. It has antiarrhythmic and inotropic properties and is known to reduce blood pressure. In order to investigate a possible role of tau in the pathogenesis of hypertension in CRF, young 5/6 nephrectomized (NX) rats (body wt. 60 ± 5g) were fed with either a tau deficient (tau-) or a tau supplemented (tau +, 0,44 %) diet with low methionine (0,11 %) and cystine (0,10 %) content. Systolic BP and heart rate (HR) were measured weekly, heart weight and heart tau content 3 weeks after NX. BP increased in all animals according to growth, but hypertension developed only the tau-rats with CRF (BP: 160 ± vs. 140 ± 12 mm Hg; p < 0,01). Hypertrophy of heart was present in CRF animals of both feeding groups. This was not due to fluid accumulation, since heart water content was similar in all rats (77 ± 0,4). Heart tau concentration was reduced in all tau-rats (17,7 vs. 24,3 μmoles/gm wet wt.: p < 0,02). An increased tau content of the whole heart was found in the tau + animals with CRF.
In conclusion, the development of hypertension in CRF seems to be aggravated by dietary tau deficiency. Taurine supplementation may be useful in patients with CRF kept on low protein diets.
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Michalk, D., Seider, R., Enzner, G. et al. HYPERTENSION IN EXPERIMENTAL CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE (CRF): EFFECT OF DIETARY TAURINE. Pediatr Res 19, 1114 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00258
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198510000-00258
