Taurine: A promising agent of therapeutic potential in experimentally-induced arthritis

Introduction: Taurine is an amino acid whose protective effects were shown in certain inflammatory conditions. Aim of the work: The present work aimed to explore the possible anti-arthritic effects of taurine in comparison with diclofenac. Materials and methods: Rats were allocated into five groups (n = 10). The normal and control groups received normal saline. The remaining three groups were treated with diclofenac (2 mg/kg), taurine (5 mg/kg), or taurine (50 mg/kg), respectively. Drugs were i.p. injected for 26 successive days starting from the onset of adjuvant induction. Arthritis was induced by s.c. injection of 0.4 ml of Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) into the subplantar region of the right hind paws of rats in all groups except the normal one. Paw volume was measured before and at different time intervals after adjuvant inoculation. After the last measurement, blood samples were collected and were used for estimation of serum levels of lipid peroxides, nitrite, total antioxidants, tumor necrosis factoralpha, and interleukin-1beta as well as lactate dehydrogenase activity. Histopathological examination of knee tissues of all rats was also performed. Results: Injection of FCA induced marked arthritis manifested by paw edema during the 26-day experiment period. Treatment with diclofenac or taurine (50 mg/kg) markedly inhibited adjuvant arthritis as well as its associated biochemical and histological changes. Taurine (5 mg/kg) did not affect FCA-induced paw edema but it attenuated some of the induced biochemical changes. Conclusions: Taurine effects could be explained by inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines production as well as its antioxidant effects. (C) 2011 Egyptian Society for Joint Diseases and Arthritis. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.