Taurine-physiological function
1. 1 Promote the brain tissue and intelligence development of infants.
Taurine is abundant and widely distributed in the brain, which can obviously promote the growth and development of nervous system and cell proliferation and differentiation in a dose-dependent manner, and plays an important role in the development of brain nerve cells. Studies have shown that the content of taurine in the brain of premature infants is significantly lower than that of full-term infants, because the cysteine sulfinate dehydrogenase (CSAD) in premature infants is not yet mature, and the synthesized taurine is not enough to meet the needs of the body and needs breast milk supplement. Taurine content in breast milk is high, especially in colostrum. If the supplement is insufficient, it will make the child grow slowly and mentally retarded. Taurine is closely related to the development of central nervous system and retina in infants and fetuses. Long-term simple milk feeding is easy to cause taurine deficiency.
1.2 Improve nerve conduction and visual function.
Hayes reported in 1975 that the lack of taurine in the cat's diet will lead to retinal degeneration and eventually blindness. The main reason why cats and night owls prey on mice is that mice are rich in taurine, and eating more can keep their keen eyesight. If the baby lacks taurine, there will be retinal dysfunction. If there is no taurine in long-term intravenous nutrition infusion, the patient's electroretinogram will change, and only a large dose of taurine can correct this change.
1.3 prevention of cardiovascular diseases
Taurine can inhibit platelet aggregation, reduce blood lipid, maintain normal blood pressure and prevent arteriosclerosis of circulatory system; Can protect myocardial cells and resist arrhythmia; Has special curative effect on reducing blood cholesterol content, and can be used for treating heart failure.
1.4 affects the absorption of lipids.
The role of taurine in the liver is to combine with bile acids to form taurocholic acid, which is necessary for the digestive tract to absorb lipids. Taurocholic acid can increase the solubility of lipids and cholesterol, relieve bile obstruction, reduce the cytotoxicity of some free bile acids, inhibit the formation of cholesterol stones and increase bile flow.
1.5 can improve endocrine status and enhance human immunity.
Taurine can promote pituitary hormone secretion and activate pancreatic function, thus improving the state of endocrine system and regulating metabolism. Has the functions of enhancing immunity and resisting fatigue.
1.6 Taurine, which affects glucose metabolism, can bind to insulin receptor, promote the uptake and utilization of glucose by cells, accelerate glycolysis and reduce blood glucose concentration. Studies have shown that taurine has a certain hypoglycemic effect and does not depend on increasing insulin release. The regulatory effect of taurine on cell glucose metabolism may be achieved through post-receptor mechanism, which mainly depends on the interaction with insulin receptor protein, rather than directly combining with islet receptor.
1.7 inhibits the occurrence and development of cataract.
Taurine plays an important role in regulating osmotic pressure and antioxidation of lens. During the development of cataract, the sorbic acid content in lens increases, and the osmotic pressure of lens increases, while the concentration of taurine, an important substance for regulating osmotic pressure, decreases obviously, and its antioxidant effect weakens, and protein in lens is over-oxidized, thus causing or aggravating the occurrence of cataract. Taurine supplementation can inhibit the occurrence and development of cataract.
1.8 Function of improving memory
In the animal experimental study on the relationship between taurine and brain development, it is found that taurine can promote the learning and memory ability of rats. Supplementing proper amount of taurine can not only improve the speed and accuracy of learning and memory, but also play a certain role in anti-aging of nervous system.
1.9 Maintain normal reproductive function.
Normal reproductive function needs taurine to maintain. It has been proved that when the taurine content in cat feed is lower than 0. 10 1%, its reproductive function will be poor, the rates of stillbirth, abortion and birth defects will increase, and the survival rate of young will decrease. When the content is above 0. 105%, the normal reproductive function can be maintained.
1. 10 Other functions
Taurine is effective in preventing and treating iron deficiency anemia, which can not only promote the absorption of iron in intestine, but also increase the stability of erythrocyte membrane. Taurine is also a growth promoting factor of Bifidobacterium in human intestine, which optimizes the structure of intestinal flora. It also has antioxidant and anti-aging effects; Can promote the recovery of acute hepatitis; It can protect carbon tetrachloride poisoning and inhibit the increase of serum alanine aminotransferase caused by carbon tetrachloride poisoning. Taurine has protective effect on nephrotoxicity, and taurine has protective effect on the changes of primary renal tubular epithelial cells in rabbits induced by cisplatin. It is also reported that taurine has sedative, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, and also has preventive and therapeutic effects on frostbite, KCN poisoning and migraine.
Taurine-drug action
(1) Liver-strengthening and cholagogic effects: Guinea pig experiments show that taurine can relieve bile obstruction and show cholagogic effects.
(2) Antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects: This product may lower the body temperature by acting on the central 5- hydroxytryptamine system or catecholamine system.
(3) hypotensive effect
(4) cardiotonic and antiarrhythmic effects
(5) Hypoglycemic effect
(6) Aerobic exercise can relax skeletal muscle and resist myotonia.
Taurine acquisition pathway
Taurine exists in almost all living things, especially in major organs of mammals, such as heart, brain and liver. The most abundant are marine fish and shellfish, such as squid, octopus and shrimp, and shellfish, such as oysters, conchs and clams. The content of taurine in mackerel, bamboo pod fish, sardines and other fish is very high.
Taurine is rich in content. In fish, the taurine content in the black part of fish back is 5 ~ 10 times higher than that in other white parts. Therefore, more intake of this kind of food can get more taurine. Taurine is easily soluble in water, so it is very important to drink soup cooked by fish and shellfish at the same time when eating. In Japan, "fish sauce" brewed with fish and shellfish is rich in taurine. Except beef, the content of taurine in meat is very small, which is only 1% ~ 10% of that in fish and shellfish.
Natural taurine is far from meeting people's needs because of its dispersion and low content. Like bovine bile, although it contains high taurine, people will not eat it. There are two ways to obtain taurine in industry.
① Extracted from natural products. Hydrolyze the bile of cattle, or extract the meat or viscera of fish, shellfish, squid, octopus and other mammals with water, and then concentrate and refine. You can also extract the wastes (viscera, blood and meat, which have nothing to do with freshness) from aquatic products processing with hot water, decolorize, deodorize, degrease and refine them, and then separate them with cation exchange resin. The extract in the obtained eluent can reach 66% ~ 67%, and crystallize after alcohol treatment.
② chemical synthesis. Because taurine is dispersed in natural organisms and its content is small, the amount extracted from natural raw materials is limited. Therefore, people mainly rely on chemical synthesis to obtain taurine in industry. Since 1950, countries all over the world have begun to study artificial synthesis. At present, there are nearly 10 synthetic processes of taurine, among which chemical synthesis methods such as ethanolamine method and dichloroethane method have been industrialized. In addition, according to Japanese patent report, taurine can be prepared by fermentation. At present, taurine manufacturers are mainly concentrated in developed countries and regions such as Japan, the United States and Europe, and the output has increased rapidly in recent years. Normal producers in China are less than 10. Taurine produced is mainly used for export and medicine, of which 90% is used for export and only 6% is used as food additive. In the United States, the consumption of taurine in food and beverage reached 6000t in 1985.