A possible physiological role of taurine in the adult female rat liver.

: In agreement with previous results (Awapara, 1956), we noted that the taurine level in the liver of the adult female rat is higher than in the adult male rat: 9.44 and 2.08, respectively, expressed as a concentration (mumoles/g of liver). Furthermore, we observed a significant decrease of the taurine level (expressed similarly) in the liver of the lactating rat: 1.84 twenty-one days after the birth of pups. These observations suggest a physiological role for the higher concentration of taurine in the liver of the adult female rat: in other words, a reserve of taurine, whatever its origin in the adult female rat, may be needed for pup development.