A modulating role of taurine on release of acetylcholine and norepinephrine from neuronal tissues.

Effects of taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) on the uptake and release of 14C-acetylcholine (14C-ACh) and 3H-norepinephrine (3H-NE) in the superior cervical ganglion and cerebral cortex of the rat were studied. Taurine suppressed high potassium evoked release of 14C-ACh and 3H-NE from the rat superior cervical ganglia and cerebral cortical slices, while the drug did not modify per se the uptake and unstimulated (spontaneous) release of 14C-ACh and 3H-NE in these tissues. Furthermore, taurine inhibited the release of 3H-NE from the crude synaptosomal (P2) fraction of the rat brain without affecting the uptake. These results suggest that taurine may act as a modulator of neuronal activity, possibly by stabilizing excitable membrane and by suppressing the release of neurotansmitter at synapses.