Cardiovascular and ventilatory effects of taurine and homotaurine in anaesthetized rats

The cardiovascular and ventilatory effects of intravenous (i.v.) or intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of the aminosulphonic acids, taurine and homotaurine, were studied in urethane-anaesthetized rats. Taurine induced dose-dependent falls in blood pressure, heart rate and ventilatory tidal volume on i.c.v. but not on i.v. administration. Homotaurine induced dose-dependent hypotension and bradycardia when given i.v. and i.c.v. It was, however, more effective when injected i.c.v., and the decrease in ventilatory tidal volume occurred after i.c.v. administration of homotaurine only. Pretreatment of the rats with reserpine attenuated both the hypotensive and bradycardic responses to taurine and homotaurine. Atenolol and atropine both partly inhibited, and in combination totally abolished, the bradycardic effects of taurine and homotaurine without changing the hypotensive responses to these compounds. The ventilatory responses were not significantly changed by any of the pretreatments. The results suggest that the central cardiovascular effects of taurine and homotaurine are mediated both by a decrease in sympathetic tone and an increase in the parasympathetic tone.