Abstract
We examined the effect of taurine depletion on hepatic sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism and carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury. Mice were supplemented with β-alanine (3%) in drinking water for one week. β-Alanine intake significantly reduced hepatic taurine levels, but did not influence S-adenosylmethionine, S-adenosylhomocysteine, glutathione levels or methionine adenosyltransferase activity in liver. However, hepatic cysteine levels were significantly elevated by β-alanine administration. Hepatotoxicity caused by carbon tetrachloride (50 μ l/kg, ip) in mice fed β-alanine was decreased, as determined by changes in serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activities. Hepatic glutathione and taurine levels after a carbon tetrachloride challenge were markedly increased by β-alanine exposure. The results suggest that enhanced availability of cysteine for synthesis of glutathione and/or taurine may account for the hepatoprotective effects of β-alanine against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury.
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Choi, D., Kim, S.J., Kwon, D.Y., Lee, S.Y., Kim, Y.C. (2009). Taurine Depletion by β-Alanine Inhibits Induction of Hepatotoxicity in Mice Treated Acutely with Carbon Tetrachloride. In: Azuma, J., Schaffer, S.W., Ito, T. (eds) Taurine 7. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 643. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-75681-3_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-75681-3_31
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