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Taurine prevents fat deposition and ameliorates plasma lipid profile in monosodium glutamate-obese rats

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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the preventive effects of taurine (TAU) supplementation upon monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced obesity. Rats treated during the first 5 days of life with MSG or saline were distributed into the following groups: control (CTL), CTL-treated with TAU (CTAU), MSG and MSG-supplemented with TAU (MTAU). CTAU and MTAU received 2.5% of TAU in their drinking water from 21 to 90 days of life. At the end of treatment, MSG and MTAU rats were hyperinsulinemic, glucose intolerant and insulin resistant, as judged by the HOMA index. MSG and MTAU rat islets secreted more insulin at 16.7 mM glucose compared to CTL. MSG rats also showed higher triglycerides (TG) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) plasma levels, Lee Index, retroperitoneal and periepidydimal fat pads, compared with CTL, whereas plasma lipid concentrations and fat depots were lower in MTAU, compared with MSG rats. In addition, MSG rats had a higher liver TG content compared with CTL. TAU decreased liver TG content in both supplemented groups, but fat content only in MTAU rats. TAU supplementation did not change glucose homeostasis, insulin secretion and action, but reduced plasma and liver lipid levels in MSG rats.

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Abbreviations

apoB:

Apolipoprotein B100

CHOL:

Cholesterol

CTL:

Control

CTAU:

Control rats supplemented with TAU

HOMA-IR:

Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance

ipGTT:

Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test

LDL:

Low-density lipoprotein

MSG:

Monosodium glutamate

MTAU:

MSG rats supplemented with TAU

NEFA:

Non-esterified fatty acids

TAU:

Taurine

TG:

Triglyceride

VLDL:

Very low-density lipoprotein

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP); Conselho Nacional para o Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq); Instituto Nacional de Obesidade e Diabetes (CNPq/FAPESP) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). We are grateful to Nicola Conran for editing the English.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (UNIOESTE), Cascavel, PR, Brazil

    Tarlliza Romanna Nardelli, Sandra Lucinei Balbo & Maria Lúcia Bonfleur

  2. Departamento de Anatomia, Biologia Celular e Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), C.P. 6109, Campinas, SP, CEP 13083-970, Brazil

    Rosane Aparecida Ribeiro, Emerielle Cristine Vanzela, Everardo Magalhães Carneiro & Antonio Carlos Boschero

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  1. Tarlliza Romanna Nardelli
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  2. Rosane Aparecida Ribeiro
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  3. Sandra Lucinei Balbo
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  4. Emerielle Cristine Vanzela
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  5. Everardo Magalhães Carneiro
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  6. Antonio Carlos Boschero
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  7. Maria Lúcia Bonfleur
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Correspondence to Rosane Aparecida Ribeiro.

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Nardelli, T.R., Ribeiro, R.A., Balbo, S.L. et al. Taurine prevents fat deposition and ameliorates plasma lipid profile in monosodium glutamate-obese rats. Amino Acids 41, 901–908 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-010-0789-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-010-0789-7

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