![]() The issue is of more than academic interest, since glutamate-triggered neuronal damage is known to occur when the glutamate concentration of interstitial fluids reaches abnormally high levels as a result of hypoxia, ischemia, or brain trauma.Ī striking curiosity was seen when Olney’s studies were extended to the visual system. In an impressive series of papers, they showed that when applied topically or by injection, glutamate and its analogs (aspartate, kainate, N-methyl-d-aspartate, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid ) were cytotoxic to nerve cells in every part of the central nervous system (CNS). ![]() The cause remained a mystery until 1969, when John Olney and his colleagues unequivocally demonstrated the neurotoxic effects of monosodium glutamate. It came to be known by a variety of names, the most common being the “The Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” because of its perhaps excessive use in wonton soup. The impetus for this review dates back more than a few decades, having originated with a curious malady, i.e., the severe headaches that were often suffered by diners who had ingested monosodium glutamate, a common food additive in general use in homes and restaurants. In this report, we present a broad overview of the functional properties of taurine, some of the consequences of taurine deficiency, and the results of studies in animal models suggesting that taurine may play a therapeutic role in the management of epilepsy and diabetes. Interestingly, taurine satisfies many of the criteria considered essential for inclusion in the inventory of neurotransmitters, but evidence of a taurine-specific receptor has yet to be identified in the vertebrate nervous system. Nevertheless, considering its broad distribution, its many cytoprotective attributes, and its functional significance in cell development, nutrition, and survival, taurine is undoubtedly one of the most essential substances in the body. Despite its many functional properties, however, the cellular and biochemical mechanisms mediating the actions of taurine are not fully known. In the retina, taurine is critical for photoreceptor development and acts as a cytoprotectant against stress-related neuronal damage and other pathological conditions. All ocular tissues contain taurine, and quantitative analysis of ocular tissue extracts of the rat eye revealed that taurine was the most abundant amino acid in the retina, vitreous, lens, cornea, iris, and ciliary body. ![]() Taurine serves a wide variety of functions in the central nervous system, from development to cytoprotection, and taurine deficiency is associated with cardiomyopathy, renal dysfunction, developmental abnormalities, and severe damage to retinal neurons. It plays a role in the modulation of intracellular free calcium concentration, and although it is one of the few amino acids not incorporated into proteins, taurine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the brain, retina, muscle tissue, and organs throughout the body. Taurine is an organic osmolyte involved in cell volume regulation, and provides a substrate for the formation of bile salts. ![]()
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