Taurine alleviates ochratoxin A‐induced pyroptosis in PK‐15 cells by inhibiting oxidative stress

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most harmful mycotoxins, which can cause multiple toxicological effects, especially nephrotoxicity in animals and humans. Taurine is an essential amino acid with various biological functions such as anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidation. However, the protective effect of taurine on OTA‐induced nephrotoxicity and pyroptosis had not been reported. Our results showed that OTA exposure induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in PK‐15 cells, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, increased mRNA levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX‐2), and decreased mRNA levels of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4). In addition, OTA treatment induced pyroptosis by increasing the expressions of pyroptosis‐related proteins NLRP3, GSDMD, Caspase‐1 P20, ASC, Pro‐caspase‐1, and IL‐1β. Meanwhile, taurine could alleviate OTA‐induced pyroptosis and cytotoxicity, as well as reduce ROS level, COX‐2, and iNOS mRNA levels, and increase the mRNA levels of the antioxidant enzyme in PK‐15 cells. Taken together, taurine alleviated OTA‐induced pyroptosis in PK‐15 cells by inhibiting ROS generation and altering the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thereby attenuating its nephrotoxicity.

Taurine ameliorates sensorimotor function by inhibiting apoptosis and activating A2 astrocytes in mice after subarachnoid hemorrhage

“…Although taurine is not directly involved in protein composition, it plays several roles in normal physiological activities (HuxTable 1992 ). Taurine is considered a cytoprotective molecule because of its ability to maintain a normal electron transport chain, regulate autophagy, enhance antioxidant responses, increase membrane stability, eliminate inflammation, and prevent calcium accumulation (Surai et al 2021 ; Duan et al 2023 ; Qu et al 2023 ). Due to its unique sulfonic acid composition, taurine also regulates cellular osmotic pressure, modulates ion movement and binds to bile acids to facilitate their circulation (Wang et al 2022 ).…”