Taurine, a possible urinary marker of liver damage : a study of taurine excretion in carbon tetrachloride-treated rats

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) caused a dose-dependent increase in urinary taurine which correlated with both the histological and biochemical assessment of liver damage. The peak elevation in urinary taurine occurred within the first 48 h after dosing but there was still significant taurinuria 72 and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of toxicology 1991-01, Vol.65 (7), p.548-555
Main Authors: WATERFIELD, C. J, TURTON, J. A, SCALES, M. D. C, TIMBRELL, J. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alanine Transaminase - blood
Animals
Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood
Biological and medical sciences
Biomarkers - urine
Carbon Tetrachloride - toxicity
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury
Female
gamma-Glutamyltransferase - urine
General aspects. Methods
Liver - pathology
Liver Diseases - diagnosis
Liver Diseases - pathology
Male
Medical sciences
Rats
Rats, Inbred Strains
Taurine - blood
Taurine - urine
Toxicology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) caused a dose-dependent increase in urinary taurine which correlated with both the histological and biochemical assessment of liver damage. The peak elevation in urinary taurine occurred within the first 48 h after dosing but there was still significant taurinuria 72 and 96 h after the intermediate dose (1 ml.kg-1) and highest dose (2 ml.kg-1), respectively. Levels of taurine in serum were also elevated over the 24 h period following a hepatotoxic dose (2 ml.kg-1) of CCl4. In contrast, although initially elevated, levels of taurine in the liver declined over the 24 h period following dosing and were significantly lower 96 h after a hepatotoxic dose of CCl4 (2 ml.kg-1). Male rats showed a different urinary profile for taurine than female rats after dosing with CCl4. A reduction in food intake seemed to lower urinary taurine levels although these changes were not statistically significant. There was a significant correlation between the level of urinary taurine and the level of serum AST for individual animals given a hepatotoxic dose of CCl4 (2 ml.kg-1). The data presented suggest that: i) taurine is produced by the liver in response to a toxic insult and subsequent leakage from damaged cells leads to increased levels in the urine; ii) the urinary taurine level may be a useful non-invasive marker of liver damage.
ISSN:0340-5761
1432-0738
DOI:10.1007/BF01973715