Effect of N-(D-Ribopyranosyl)taurine Sodium Salt Supplementation on the Hepatic Antioxidant System in Rat Models of Diet-Induced Obesity and Taurine Deficiency.

Abstract

N-(d-Ribopyranosyl)taurine sodium salt (T-Rib) is a newly synthesized compound containing taurine and ribose. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of T-Rib supplementation on the hepatic antioxidant system in rat models of diet-induced obesity and taurine deficiency. To induce taurine deficiency, β-alanine was administered by dissolving it in drinking water (3 % w/v). Fifty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats (4-week-old) were randomly divided into the following seven groups with eight rats in each group for 6 weeks: N group, normal diet; HF group, high-fat diet; HFT group, high-fat diet and 4 mmol/kg/day taurine; HFA group, high-fat diet and β-alanine; HFR2 group, high-fat diet, β-alanine, and 2 mmol/kg/day T-Rib; HFR4 group, high-fat diet, β-alanine, and 4 mmol/kg/day T-Rib; and HFR6 group, high-fat diet, β-alanine, and 6 mmol/kg/day T-Rib. Taurine and T-Rib were orally administered to the HFT and HFR groups, respectively. To investigate the effect of T-Rib on the hepatic antioxidant system, serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and glutamate pyruvic transaminase (GPT) activities were analyzed. In addition, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) content, glutathione (GSH) content and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in the liver were analyzed. Serum GOT levels, hepatic TBARS content, and GPx activities in the HFT and HFR groups significantly improved compared to the corresponding values in the HF and HFA groups. These results suggest that supplementation with T-Rib as well as with taurine could be beneficial to the hepatic antioxidant system in rat models of diet-induced obesity and taurine deficiency. Further study is needed to investigate the mechanism of T-Rib action.