Taurine is present in all tissues in the body and is widely distributed in foods commonly eaten. However, taurine is present in high concentrations in the cardiac muscle, the skeletal muscle, the brain and the central nervous system, which relates to its involvement in osmoregulation and the generation of electrical excitability. Taurine may also be a neurotransmitter and a number of receptors have been identified that may interact with taurine. For example, taurine may bind to the GABA receptor where it interacts with various other ligands to change their binding properties to the receptor. In particular taurine may antagonise some of the ligands for the GABA receptor including the benzodiazepines and glycine. Taurine may also have pain relieving effects although the mechanisms for this are not clear although this may involve binding to cell membranes. This last effect is interesting because membrane stabilisation has been suggested to be one of taurine’s physiological benefits, and this may account for its neuroprotective effects.
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