Taurine treatment reduces hepatic lipids and oxidative stress in chronically ethanol-treated rats.

In this study, we evaluated whether taurine treatment has a protective effect on the prooxidant-antioxidant state following chronic ethanol treatment in rats. Rats were given water containing 20% ethanol (v/v) as drinking water for 3 months. Chronic ethanol treatment in drinking water resulted in increased oxidative stress in the liver of rats. Taurine treatment was performed by adding 1% taurine (w/v) to the drinking water plus injection (400 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneally 3 times/week for 28 d after ethanol cessation in chronically ethanol-treatad rats. This treatment starting after ethanol cessation caused a significant decreases in serum transaminase activities and hepatic total lipid, triglyceride, malondialdehyde, and diene conjugate levels and significant increases in hepatic glutathione, vitamin E, and vitamin C levels, but did not alter the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione transferase in the liver as compared with chronically ethanol-treated rats. Accordingly, we propose that taurine has a restorative effect on ethanol-induced hepatic damage by decreasing oxidative stress.