Taurine attenuates the serum γ-GTP-decreasing effect of ursodeoxycholic acid in chronic hepatitis patients

Abstract

The effect of concomitant administration of taurine (Taurine Powder, 3 g day −1) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) (Urso, 600 mg day −1) on the results of liver function tests was investigated in chronic hepatitis C patients. The mean ALT, ALP, γ-GTP, and total bile acid (TBA) values during the 3 months before UDCA and/or taurine administration and the 3 months after the start of the administration were compared in each patient. The results showed that ALT and γ-GTP improved 25 and 34%, respectively, and TBA increased 115% in the 32 patients treated with UDCA alone. This increase in TBA is thought to reflect UDCA-induced enlargement of the bile acid pool in the enterohepatic circulation. γ-GTP did not improve in the four patients simultaneously given taurine and UDCA. In addition, when taurine was administrated to nine patients treated with UDCA for more than 6 months, γ-GTP increased 16% and TBA decreased 22%, and the sequential changes in γ-GTP and TBA levels were mirror images of each other. No marked changes in γ-GTP or TBA were noted in the seven patients treated with taurine alone. These findings indicate that taurine attenuates the effect of UDCA in decreasing serum γ-GTP levels, probably because of the reduced bile acid pool size.