Inotropic effect of taurine in guinea-pig ventricular strips

At 0.9 mM CaCl2 taurine prevented the negative inotropic effect due to low calcium concentration in guinea-pig ventricular strips but not in rat strips. This taurine effect was dose-dependent. The presence (in the perfusion medium) of beta-alanine, an inhibitor of taurine transport, antagonized the effect of taurine suggesting that the action of taurine was correlated to its transport. Neither propranolol, cimetidine nor indomethacin affected the response to taurine in guinea-pig ventricular strips.