Is taurine-induced hypothermia in the rat mediated by 5-HT?

Intraventricular administration of taurine in the rat caused hypothermia, the extent of which was directly dependent upon the thermal gradient between the body and the environment. Pre-treatment of animals with p-chlorophenylalanine, which depleted most of the brain serotonin, strongly reduced the hypothermia induced by taurine. Pre-treatment with alpha-methyltyrosine induced hypothermia and sedation in animals. When this was followed by a taurine injection, they exhibited a decrease in body temperature which fitted the curve relating thermal gradients to hypothermic responses. It is suggested that taurine induced hypothermia in rat is mediated in part by central 5-HT systems.