Improvement in cholesterol metabolism in mice given chronic treatment of taurine and fed a high-fat diet

The effects of chronic treatment of taurine can hypercholesterolemia and at herosclerosis were examined in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet containing 15% fat and 1.25% cholesterol. Taurine was dissolved in drinking water at 1% (whv) and was given to mice ad libitum during 6 months-feeding of a high -fat diet. Hypercholesterolemia occurred and lipid accumulation on the aort ic valve was evident. Taurine treatment lowered serum LDL + VLDL cholestero l by 44% in mice fed a high-fat diet, while it elevated serum HDL cholester ol by 25%. As a result, the atherogenic index, the ratio of HDL to LDL + VL DL was markedly improved. Cholesterol content in the liver also decreased b y 19% with taurine. Similar tendencies were seen in mice fed regular chow, but the changes were not significant. The area of aortic lipid accumulation , which served as an index of atherosclerosis, was reduced by 20% with taur ine. In the liver, taurine doubled the activity of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydo xylase. These observations, together with prior findings, suggest that the cholesterol-lowering action of taurine may relate to the increased conversi on of cholesterol to bile acids via stimulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydr oxylase activity. Thus, chronic treatment of high-fat mice with taurine imp roves the abnormal profile of the serum lipoproteins, and thereby retards t he progression of atherosclerosis.