The impact of taurine- and beta-alanine-supplemented diets on behavioral and neurochemical parameters in mice: antidepressant versus anxiolytic-like effects.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the effects of chronic beta-alanine supplementation on depression-like behavior and brain metabolites in mice under acute stress.
Results Summary
Beta-alanine supplementation showed anxiolytic-like effects, increasing open-arm exploration in the elevated plus-maze test and altering brain metabolites, including decreased serotonin metabolite levels and increased carnosine and BDNF concentrations.
Population
Mice
Effective Dosage
22.5 mmol/kg diet
Duration
Chronic (exact duration not specified)
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
taurine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | decrease | duration of immobility | mice | - | significant decrease | #1 |
taurine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | increase | taurine concentration | mice | - | increased | #2 |
taurine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | increase | L: -arginine concentration | mice | - | increased | #3 |
beta-alanine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | increase | percentage of time spent in the open arms | mice | - | significant increases | #4 |
beta-alanine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | increase | entries in the open arms | mice | - | significant increases | #5 |
beta-alanine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | decrease | concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid | mice | - | decreased | #6 |
beta-alanine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | increase | carnosine (beta-alanyl-L: -histidine) concentration | mice | - | increased | #7 |
beta-alanine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | increase | brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration | mice | - | increased | #8 |
taurine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | decrease | depression-like behavior | mice | - | had an antidepressant-like effect | #9 |
beta-alanine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | decrease | anxiety-like behavior | mice | - | had an anxiolytic-like effect | #10 |
taurine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | no change | locomotor activity | mice | - | no significant difference | #11 |
beta-alanine-supplemented diet (22.5 mmol/kg diet) | no change | locomotor activity | mice | - | no significant difference | #12 |
Taurine, a substrate of taurine transporter, has functions as a neuromodulator and antioxidant and beta-alanine, a taurine transporter inhibitor, has a role as a neurotransmitter in the brain, and they were expected to be involved in depression-like behavior and antidepressant treatment. These facts aroused our interest in new capabilities of taurine and beta-alanine. Thus, to investigate the effects of chronic ingestion of taurine- (22.5 mmol/kg diet) supplemented diet and beta-alanine- (22.5 mmol/kg diet) supplemented diet under acute stressful conditions, behavioral changes and brain metabolites were compared with mice fed a control diet. In the open field test, no significant difference was observed in locomotor activity among groups. In the elevated plus-maze test, however, significant increases in the percentage of time spent and entries in the open arms were observed in the beta-alanine-supplemented diet fed group compared to both controls and animals fed with taurine-supplemented diet. Moreover, a significant decrease in the duration of immobility was observed in the taurine-supplemented diet group in the forced swimming test compared to both controls and animals fed with beta-alanine-supplemented diet. Taurine-supplemented diet increased taurine and L: -arginine concentrations in the hypothalamus. In contrast, beta-alanine-supplemented diet decreased the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, a major metabolite of serotonin, in the hypothalamus. Beta-alanine-supplemented diet also increased carnosine (beta-alanyl-L: -histidine) concentration in the cerebral cortex and hypothalamus, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration in the hippocampus. These results suggested that taurine-supplemented diet had an antidepressant-like effect and beta-alanine-supplemented diet had an anxiolytic-like effect.