The present study investigates the effect of perinatal taurine exposure on renal function in adult, female rats on a high sugar diet. Perinatal taurine depleted (TD), supplemented (TS) or untreated control (C) female offspring were fed normal rat chow and tap water (CW,TDW or TSW) or tap water with 5% glucose (CG, TDG or TSG) after weaning. At 7-8 weeks of age, renal function was studied in the conscious, restrained rats. Mean arterial pressure was significantly higher in TDW, TDG, and TSG rats. Plasma sodium concentration was significantly lower in all glucose treated animals, but the greatest decrease was in TDW rats. Basal renal blood flow was lowest in TSW and TSG, and the responses to a saline load were also lowest in those two groups. These changes were consistent with increased renal vascular resistance. The basal glomerular filtration rate was lowest in TSW, but the responses to a saline load were similar in all of the groups. Water excretion was lower in TSG and TSW, consistent with increased renal tubular water reabsorption. These data suggest that perinatal taurine exposure alters normal renal function and renal responses to dietary sugar in adult female offspring.

The present study tests the sex-dependent effect of perinatal taurine exposure on arterial pressure control in adults. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed normal rat chow with 3% beta-alanine (taurine depletion, TD), 3% taurine (taurine supplementation, TS) or water alone (C) from conception to weaning. Their male and female offspring were then fed normal rat chow and tap water with 5% glucose (C with glucose, CG; TD with glucose, TDG; TS with glucose, TSG) or water alone (CW, TDW or TSW). At 7-8 weeks of age, they were studied in a conscious condition. Body weights were lower in male and female TDG and male TDW rats. Kidney to body weights increased in female TSW but not TSG. Plasma sodium and potassium were not significantly different among males. In the females, plasma sodium levels were lower in all glucose treated groups while plasma potassium levels were lower only in TDG. Hematocrit, fasting blood glucose, and glucose tolerance were not significantly different among sexes. Mean arterial pressures increased in male TDG, TSW, and TSG while in the females, mean arterial pressures increased in TDW, TDG, and TSG. Heart rates were not significantly different among sexes. The present data indicate that perinatal exposure alters arterial pressure control of adult rats and this effect is gender specific.

Perinatal taurine exposure has long-term effects on the arterial pressure and renal function. This study tests its influence on renal potassium excretion in young adult, conscious rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed normal rat chow and given water alone (C), 3% beta-alanine in water (taurine depletion, TD) or 3% taurine in water (taurine supplementation, TS), either from conception until delivery (fetal period; TDF or TSF) or from delivery until weaning (lactation period; TDL or TSL). In Experiment 1, male offspring were fed normal rat chow and tap water, while in Experiment 2, beta-alanine and taurine were treated from conception until weaning and then female pups were fed normal rat chow and 5% glucose in drinking water (CG, TDG or TSG) or water alone (CW, TDW or TSW). At 7-8 weeks of age, renal potassium excretion was measured at rest and after an acute saline load (5% of body weight) in conscious, restrained rats. Although all male groups displayed similar renal potassium excretion, TSF rats slightly increased fractional potassium excretion at rest but not in response to saline load, whereas TDF did the opposite. Plasma potassium concentration was only slightly altered by the diet manipulations. In female offspring, none of the perinatal treatments significantly altered renal potassium excretion at rest or after saline load. High sugar intake slightly decreased potassium excretion at rest in TDG and TSG, but only the TDG group displayed a decreased response to saline load. The present data indicates that perinatal taurine exposure only mildly influences renal potassium excretion in adult male and female rats.

Lerdweeraphon W, Wyss JM, Boonmars T, Roysommuti S. Perinatal taurine exposure affects adult oxidative stress. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 305: R95-R97, 2013. First published April 24, 2013 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00142.2013.-Perinatal exposure to taurine (a ␤-amino acid) can alter adult physiological functions, including arterial pressure, hormonal and renal functions. Whereas perinatal taurine supplementation appears to have only minor effects on adult physiology, perinatal taurine depletion is associated with multiple adverse health effects, especially in animals postnatally exposed to other insults. New studies indicate that the mechanism for many of the physiological effects of taurine is related to the antioxidant activity of taurine. Thus the perinatal taurine depletion leads to oxidative stress in adult animals. It is likely that perinatal taurine depletion increases oxidative stress throughout life and that the early life taurine depletion leads to perinatal, epigenetic programming that impacts adult physiological function. arterial pressure; hypertension; oxidative stress; perinatal exposure; taurine TAURINE (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a free ␤-amino acid found abundantly in many tissues including brain, myocardium, and kidney and is generally highest during early postnatal life and declines with advancing age (6,19,21). Taurine plays diverse physiological functions from conception onward, including regulation of growth and differentiation, osmoregulation, neurohormonal modulation, lipid metabolism, glucoregulation, and blood pressure control, and the protection of taurine from oxidative stress may underlie many effects. Prenatal taurine deficiency induces low birth weights and in later life, the risk of cardiovascular disease, likely related to oxidative stress (19). Taurine deficiency leads to abnormalities observed in animals that are perinatally (prenatally and early postnatally) protein restricted. In contrast, perinatal taurine supplementation ameliorates neurological deficiencies arising from intrauterine growth restriction (12), and dietary taurine supplementation during pregnancy protects mothers and embryos from diabetes-induced oxidative stress (20). This review focuses on effects of perinatal taurine exposure on adult arterial pressure control, especially as it relates to oxidative stress. Taurine as an AntioxidantOxidative stress results from unbalanced pro-oxidant versus antioxidant factors, which can lead to cellular and tissue damage. The antioxidant activity of taurine has been recognized for a decade. In Sprague-Dawley rats made hypertensive by administration of N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester to reduce nitric oxide (NO), 2% taurine in drinking water increases serum NO and NO synthase levels and attenuates hypertension (5). The antioxidant and antihypertensive effects of taurine are also observed in leadinduced hypertension (14) and cyclosporine A-induced hyperten-

Perinatal taurine depletion followed by high sugar intake (postweaning) alters the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and glucose regulation in adult female rats. This study tests the hypothesis that in adult female rats, RAS and estrogen contribute to insulin resistance resulting from perinatal taurine imbalance. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed normal rat chow with 3% β-alanine (taurine depletion, TD), 3% taurine (taurine supplementation, TS), or water alone (control, C) from conception to weaning. Their female offspring were fed normal rat chow with 5% glucose in water (TDG, TSG, CG) or water alone (TDW, TSW, CW) throughout the experiment. At 7-8 weeks of age, animals were studied with or without captopril inhibition of the RAS and with or without estrogen receptor inhibition by tamoxifen. Compared to CW and CG groups, perinatal taurine depletion but not supplementation slightly increased plasma insulin levels. High sugar intake slightly increased plasma insulin only in TSG. Captopril treatment significantly increased plasma insulin in all groups except CG (the greatest increase was in TDG). Changes in insulin resistance and insulin secretion paralleled the changes in plasma insulin levels. In contrast, tamoxifen treatment increased insulin resistance and decreased insulin secretion only in TDG and this group displayed hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance. These data indicate that perinatal taurine imbalance alters the interplay of RAS and estrogen on glucose-insulin regulation in adult female rats.