Taurine Supplementation Alleviates Blood Pressure via Gut-Brain Communication in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Pathophysiology
• Gut-Brain Axis Research
• Nutritional Neuroscience

Background:

• Hypertension is linked to inflammation, oxidative stress in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and gut-brain axis dysfunction.
• The precise mechanisms of taurine's antihypertensive effects through the gut-brain axis are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of taurine supplementation on hypertension, focusing on the gut-brain axis.
• To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying taurine's impact on gut microbiota, inflammation, and PVN activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).

Main Methods:

• Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) received 3% taurine in drinking water for eight weeks.
• Evaluated blood pressure, PVN inflammation/oxidative stress, cardiac pathology, gut inflammation, and gut microbiota composition (16S rRNA sequencing).
• Utilized untargeted metabolomics to analyze fecal metabolites, with a focus on tryptophan metabolism.

Main Results:

• Taurine reduced blood pressure, sympathetic activity, and PVN inflammation/oxidative stress in SHRs.
• Improved cardiac pathology, gut microbiota composition, and alleviated gut inflammation.
• Taurine significantly altered tryptophan metabolism, affecting serum levels of kynurenine, L-tryptophan, serotonin (5-HT), and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA).

Conclusions:

• Taurine restored gut microbiota balance, enhanced mucosal barrier function, and reduced intestinal inflammation.
• Taurine stimulated tryptophan metabolism, with gut-derived metabolites potentially influencing the PVN via the gut-brain axis.
• These actions led to decreased PVN inflammation, oxidative stress, sympathetic nerve activity, and ultimately, lower blood pressure in hypertensive rats.