Taurine: A Potent Antioxidant Drug In The Future?

Main Category: Liver Disease / Hepatitis
Article Date: 22 Sep 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Taurine is a potent antioxidant with hepatoprotective effects. Organelle based changes in hepatocytes after taurine treatment in experimental liver fibrosis were searched systematically and organelle injury scores were found to decrease significantly. Moreover, ultrastructural and histopathological scores in both groups were in strong correlation.

A research article published on August 21, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team led by Mehmet Refik Mas from Gulhane School of Medicine in Turkey added a new information to their ongoing research works. Based on the fact that tissue health is directly related to functional recovery of the parenchyma cells during injury, the authors addressed the changes in major organelles in hepatocytes after administration of a hepatoprotective agent.

They not only demonstrated ultrastructural recovery with Taurine, but also reported that electron microscopy findings are reflected truly with light microscopy with the currently used scoring systems.

The results will be helpful in future research in liver fibrosis.

The study is experimental; therefore, clinical confirmation is necessary. However, it can be postulated that similar changes occur in human hepatocytes in human chronic liver diseases if recovery can be attained.

Gulhane School of Medicine is a part of a large medical academy that was founded more than a century ago as a health staff source for the Turkish army. The academy currently supports not only institutional research projects but also keeps national and international scientific collaborations.

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Reference: Tasci I, Mas N, Mas MR, Tuncer M, Comert B. Ultrastructural changes in hepatocytes after Taurine treatment in CCl4induced liver injury. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14(31):4897-4902 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/14/4897.asp

Correspondence to: Mehmet Refik Mas, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Gulhane School of Medicine, Etlik, Ankara 06018, Turkey.

About World Journal of Gastroenterology

World Journal of Gastroenterology (WJG), a leading international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, has established a reputation for publishing first class research on esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, viral hepatitis, colorectal cancer, and H pylori infection and provides a forum for both clinicians and scientists. WJG has been indexed and abstracted in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch) and Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, Index Medicus, MEDLINE and PubMed, Chemical Abstracts, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Abstracts Journals, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CAB Abstracts and Global Health. ISI JCR 2003-2000 IF: 3.318, 2.532, 1.445 and 0.993. WJG is a weekly journal published by WJG Press. The publication dates are the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day of every month. WJG is supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30224801 and No. 30424812, and was founded with the name of China National Journal of New Gastroenterology on October 1, 1995, and renamed WJG on January 25, 1998.

Source: Lin Tian
World Journal of Gastroenterology

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