Abstract
There is now an increasing body of data that taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) at pharmacological concentrations alters carbohydrate metabolism. Early reports from Ackerman and Heinsen (1) and Macallum and Sivertz (10) found that taurine was potent a hypoglycemic agent. Several teams of investigators have confirmed these initial results. Donadio and Fromageot (4) confirmed the hypoglycemic properties of taurine and presented evidence that taurine increased glucose utilization in the rat diaphragm. Lampson et al. (9) reported that taurine was capable of enhancing the effects of insulin on cardiac glycolysis, glycogenesis and oxygen consumption. Moreover, when fasting rats were given a bolus injection of glucose, Kulakowski and Maturo (6) observed that taurine alone was capable of reducing serum glucose levels while stimulating 3-0-methylglucose uptake in skeletal muscle and liver, and glycogenesis in the liver. This occurred without a concomitant increase in serum insulin levels.
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References
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© 1987 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Maturo, J., Kulakowski, E.C. (1987). Insulin-Like Activity of Taurine. In: Huxtable, R.J., Franconi, F., Giotti, A. (eds) The Biology of Taurine. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 217. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0405-8_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0405-8_23
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