Abstract
Chronic taurine deficiency produces an irreversible degeneration in the retina of kittens (Hayes, et al., 1975; Hayes, 1985; Sturman et al., 1985a,b). It has also been reported that the lack of taurine results in loss of optic nerve axons in rats (Lake, 1988). An interesting finding in Rhesus monkeys is that animals fed a formula free of taurine develop poor visual acuity, suggesting a role for taurine in the central retina, which is involved in normal acuity (Neuringer and Sturman, 1987). Lowered levels of this amino acid lead to functional and structural changes in the central nervous system of the cat (Schmidt et al., 1975), the monkey (Sturman et al., 1984), and the rat (Pasantes-Morales et al., 1983; Quesada et al., 1984). Taurine depletion induced by blockers of its uptake, such as guanidinoethylsulfonate and B-alanine, results in severe disruption of retinal structure (Pasantes-Morales et al., 1983) and modifications in the electroretinogram (Lake, 1986).
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Lima, L., Matus, P., Drujan, B. (1992). The Trophic Role of Taurine in the Retina. A Possible Mechanism of Action. In: Lombardini, J.B., Schaffer, S.W., Azuma, J. (eds) Taurine. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 315. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3436-5_34
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3436-5_34
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