Protective Role of Taurine on Rat Offspring Hypertension in the Setting of Maternal Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract

Taurine is a natural antioxidant with antihypertensive properties. Maternal chronic kidney disease (CKD) has an impact on renal programming and increases the risk of offspring hypertension in later life. The underlying mechanisms cover oxidative stress, a dysregulated hydrogen sulfide (H2S) system, dysbiotic gut microbiota, and inappropriate activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS). We investigated whether perinatal taurine administration enables us to prevent high blood pressure (BP) in offspring complicated by maternal CKD. Before mating, CKD was induced through feeding chow containing 0.5% adenine for 3 weeks. Taurine was administered (3% in drinking water) during gestation and lactation. Four groups of male offspring were used (n = 8/group): controls, CKD, taurine-treated control rats, and taurine-treated rats with CKD. Taurine treatment significantly reduced BP in male offspring born to mothers with CKD. The beneficial effects of perinatal taurine treatment were attributed to an augmented H2S pathway, rebalance of aberrant RAAS activation, and gut microbiota alterations. In summary, our results not only deepen our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying maternal CKD-induced offspring hypertension but also afford us the impetus to consider taurine-based intervention as a promising preventive approach for future clinical translation.

The Renin–Angiotensin System and Cardiovascular–Kidney–Metabolic Syndrome: Focus on Early-Life Programming

“…Table 1 provides an overview of animal models that manifest at least two components of CKM syndrome in their offspring, particularly those linked to aberrant RAS alterations [ 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 ]. Various animal models employing diverse environmental stressors have been developed to investigate specific aspects of CKM syndrome, including hypertension [ 12 , 134 ], metabolic syndrome [ 135 ], kidney disease [ 13 ], and CVD [ 15 ], as discussed in previous reviews.…”

“…Consequently, animal models replicating maternal illnesses and conditions have been established to investigate different facets of CKM syndrome, including hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and kidney disease (refer to Table 1 ). The spectrum of maternal illnesses and conditions encompass maternal diabetes [ 108 , 109 , 110 ], CKD [ 111 , 112 ], uteroplacental insufficiency [ 113 , 114 , 115 ], and maternal hypoxia [ 116 , 117 ].…”

“…The adult offspring of mothers with adenine-induced CKD exhibited hypertension and renal hypertrophy. These effects were correlated with an upregulation of the renal gene expression of AGT, renin, PRR, ACE, and AT1R, along with the downregulation of AT2R and MAS [ 111 , 112 ]. Uteroplacental insufficiency in rats serves as a model of IUGR and subsequent developmental programming of hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and kidney disease in the offspring [ 83 , 113 , 114 , 115 ].…”

Taurine Prevents Angiotensin II-Induced Human Endocardial Endothelium Morphological Remodeling and the Increase in Cytosolic and Nuclear Calcium and ROS

“…Taurine was reported to be a cardiac anti-hypertrophic factor in vivo as well as in vitro [ 19 , 27 ]. Its overall beneficial effects were attributed in part to its anti-ROS properties [ 19 , 28 ] and in preventing intracellular calcium overload [ 3 , 19 , 27 ].…”

Short Communication: Taurine Long-Term Treatment Prevents the Development of Cardiac Hypertrophy, and Premature Death in Hereditary Cardiomyopathy of the Hamster Is Sex-Independent

“…This pathology is associated with an increase in free radicals and a decrease in the natural antioxidant taurine. Although glutathione is the mother of endogenous intracellular antioxidants [14], taurine, a natural antioxidant and nonessential amino acid, sometimes called a conditional nonessential amino acid [14], is the most abundant among human body nutrients [8]. This is why it can be considered the guardian of redox balance.…”