Abstract
Taurine has an important role in stabilizing mammalian skeletal muscle membrane. Indeed previous studies have shown that in vitro application of taurine reduces fiber excitability by a specific and concentration-dependent increase of resting Cl− conductance (GCl)4, 20, this parameter largely contributing to the electrical stability of sarcolemma21. A better evaluation of the role of taurine in skeletal muscle derives from studies on taurine-de-pleted muscles. Indeed chronic treatment with guanidinoethane sulfonate (GES), an inhibitor of taurine transport15, caused a fall in muscular taurine content and a marked decrease of GCl along with an increase of excitability of rat skeletal muscle fibers9, 19. Furthermore we found that the excitation-contraction coupling process of taurine-depleted muscles was significantly changed, the GES-treated fibers contracting at more negative potentials than normal controls9.
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