The effect of taurine on cholesterol metabolism

Abstract

The elevated plasma cholesterol level, in particular, LDL cholesterol is regarded as an important risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. A number of studies provide the evidence that taurine has the efficient action to reduce plasma and liver cholesterol concentrations, especially to decrease VLDL and LDL cholesterol in hypercholesterolemia animal induced by high cholesterol diet. Cholesterol lowering effect of taurine is actually involved in the regulatory mechanism of cholesterol and bile acid homeostasis that mediated by CYP7A1, which has become a biomarker for cholesterol metabolism and itself is also regulated by several factors and nuclear receptors. This review summarizes the change of cholesterol concentration in metabolism observed in feeding studies of hypercholesterolemia animal dealing with taurine, and then, addresses the possible metabolic and molecular mechanisms of cholesterol lowering effect by taurine in three aspects, cholesterol clearance from blood circulation, bioconversion of cholesterol to bile acid in liver, and excretion of cholesterol and bile acid from intestine.

Cardioprotective Efficacy of Taurine on Lipid-Metabolism of Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarction

“…Murakami et al [83] also showed that taurine induced lower cholesterol level in diabetic rats by increasing LDL-receptors, thereby mediating LDL turnover. It has also been suggested that taurine may be responsible for the increase of HDL, modifying cholesterol synthesis in the liver and/or balance of each of the serum lipoprotein fractions containing cholesterol [84]. Taurine is a hypocholesterolemic agent [85], possibly by enhancing LDL receptor binding in the liver [86].…”

Taurine Ameliorates Hypercholesterolemia But Not Obesity in Rats Fed a Lard-Based, High-Fat Diet

“…In the obese rat model, taurine supplementation was effective at lowering the serum lipid levels, but not at reversing weight gain. In cases of hypercholesterolemia induced by a high cholesterol/ sodium and cholate diet, there are three possible metabolic and molecular mechanisms of taurine's cholesterol lowering effect: cholesterol clearance from blood circulation, bioconversion of cholesterol to bile acid in the liver, and excretion of cholesterol and bile acid from the intestines (Chen et al 2012 ). In this model, increased serum cholesterol and lipid levels seemed to have decreased signifi cantly in the presence of taurine through the above three mechanisms.…”

“…The cholesterol lowering effects of taurine have been consistently observed in rats and mice with exogenous hypercholesterolemia caused by a diet high in cholesterol/sodium and cholate (Chen et al 2012 ). Cholate is generally added to the diet to induce hypercholesterolemia in rats because it enhances cholesterol uptake.…”

“…One reason is that taurine only induces cholesterol 7a-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) mRNA in the presence of cholate in a high-cholesterol diet (Chen et al 2005 ). Furthermore, taurine did not reduce serum and liver total cholesterol concentrations in cases of endogenous hypercholesterolemia that were induced by phenobarbital (PB) or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) (Chen et al 2012 ). Thus, it is better to test the cholesterol lowering effect of taurine on hypercholesterolemia in an obese animal model with a high-fat diet, rather than a high cholesterol/sodium diet with cholate.…”

Epigenetic modifications associated with aortic remodeling in hyperhomocysteinemia.

“…In the transsulfuration pathway, Hcy is catabolized to yield taurine which reduces total serum cholesterol by lowering very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) [174]. When CBS+/-mice were fed taurine deficient diet, there was an upregulation of CBS monoallele along with a reduction in total serum cholesterol levels.…”