Taurine as a universal carrier of lipid soluble vitamins: a hypothesis.

[Guest guest]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uids=1\

1128549 & dopt=Abstract

 

1: Amino Acids 2000;19(2):409-21

 

 

Taurine as a universal carrier of lipid soluble vitamins: a hypothesis.

 

Petrosian AM, Haroutounian JE.

 

Buniatian Institute of Biochemistry of National Academy of Sciences of Armenia,

Yerevan.

 

In the literature taurine is characterized as a non-specific growth or blood

clotting factor, an antioxidant, a membrane protector, or a regulator of calcium

ion homeostasis, just as vitamins A, D, E, F, and K are similarly characterized.

On the basis of recent finding concerning the relationship between taurine and

the aldehyde of vitamin A-retinal (Petrosian and Haroutounian, 1988, 1998;

Petrosian et al., 1996), as well as on the basis of data from the literature, we

now suggest a hypothesis that taurine promotes the bioavailability of the lipid

soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, and F, probably by forming different types of water

soluble, easily hydrolyzable complexes. It is quite possible that the ability of

taurine to convert lipids and lipid soluble substances into a water soluble

state is the key to understanding the unusually wide diversity of biological

phenomena associated with taurine. This form of delivery may be an additional,

secondary mechanism for the transport of lipid soluble vitamins, which was

probably acquired early in evolution, and remains extremely important for

mammals and humans directly after birth for a variety of physiological functions

such as: vision in normal and in emergency situations, rapid blood clotting,

sperm eruption, and situations requiring a prompt consumption of lipid soluble

vitamins characteristic of excitable systems. Clearly, the role of taurine in

the physiology of the water insoluble vitamins remains an enigma and is worthy

of further investigations.

 

Publication Types:

Review

Review, Tutorial

 

PMID: 11128549 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc.

 

To , e-mail to: Gettingwell-

Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell

 

 

 

 

Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now