Cardioprotective effect of taurine on calcium paradox in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat hearts.

Through the modification of Ca2+ metabolism, taurine is known to have several beneficial physiological actions, including antiarrhythmic18, positive inotropic2–4, and membrane stabilizing effects7. In addition, it has been reported that taurine protects the heart against Ca2+ paradox-induced myocardial injury9. However, it is unclear whether taurine has a similar cardioprotective effect in diabetic hearts, which exhibit a number of alterations in metabolism. Diabetes mellitus is a disorder of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism affecting many organs. In addition to contractile abnormalities, previous studies revealed disturbances in function of subcellular organelles in diabetic hearts, including impaired glucose utilization, mitochondrial dysfunction, and depressed Na+-Ca2+ Na+-H+ exchange activities12, 17, 22.