Recent research, published in the September-October issue of Journal of Diabetes and its Complications describes the ability of taurine to delay diabetic complications.
High fructose diet is well known to induce insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, hypertriglyceridemia, other diabetic complications and hypertension in rats.Taurine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the plasma and cytosol. Besides its role in bile acid conjugation, taurine has been shown to be involved in various important physiological functions, such as cell membrane stabilization, antioxidation, detoxification, osmoregulation, neuromodulation, and brain and retinal development.
Researchers from the Departments of Biochemistry & Statistics, Faculty of Science, Annamalai University, India investigated the effect of taurine administration on the content and characteristics of skin collagen in high-fructose-fed rats. For the study, adult male rats were divided into four groups of six each: a control group and a taurine-supplemented control group, a high fructose diet-fed group, and a taurine supplemented fructose diet-fed group. After 30 days, collagen was isolated from the skin, and its physicochemical properties were studied.
Fructose administration caused an accumulation of collagen and extensive cross-linking. This was evidenced by increases in glycation, fluorescence, and peroxidation in collagen samples. The physicochemical properties of collagen, like shrinkage temperature, aldehyde content, solubility pattern, and susceptibility to denaturing agents, were altered in the fructose-fed rats. The SDS-PAGE pattern of collagen from fructose-fed rats showed and elevated รข component of Type I collagen. Simultaneous administration of taurine alleviated these changes.
The authors conclude that the positive influence of taurine on both collagen content and its properties suggests a potential mechanism for the ability of taurine to delay diabetic complications.
Increased glucose utilization by taurine decreases the availability of glucose, and this may cause a decrease in the formation of Amadori products and free radical production. A reduction in the processes of glycation and lipid peroxidation by taurine can favorably prevent collagen abnormalities..
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