Taurine

Non-selective endogenous agonist at glycine receptors. Conditionally essential sulfonated amino acid which modulates apoptosis in some cells; functions in many metabolic activities; a product of methionine and cysteine metabolism.

Non-selective endogenous agonist at glycine receptors.

Taurine is predominantly found in the retina and heart and is also found in the brain, intestine, skeletal muscles and kidneys. It controls the concentration of intracellular calcium, protects against ischemia-reperfusion injury and possesses blood pressure-lowering properties. Taurine also plays a vital role in bile formation and fat digestion. Deficiency of taurine is associated with development of anxiety, hyperactivity, epilepsy and depression.

Taurine has been used:

• as a component of cardiomyocyte dissociation solution
• as a supplement for modified synthetic oviduct fluid (m-SOF) medium to culture the presumptive zygotes
• as a constituent of low Ca²⁺ solution employed in preparation of collagenase B solution for colony dissociation into single cells
• to assess its effect on development of bovine embryos fertilized with different bull semen during in vitro fertilization
• as a component of culture media for derivation of cornea organoids