Table 1.

Studies on the Effects of Taurine and the Mechanisms behind the Action of Taurine

Study	Activity	Mechanism
Kulakowski et al. (1984) [52], Wu et al. (2010) [51]	Enhancement of insulin sensitivity	Insulin resistance can be caused by changes in phosphorylation states of certain proteins, such as IRS-1, IRS-2, Akt, and JNK-1 in peripheral tissues. Taurine regulates these changes through direct interactions with insulin receptors.
Carneiro et al. (2009) [45], Park et al. (2004) [53]	Inducing insulin secretion	By increasing the expression of genes involved in insulin secretion and/or by blocking ATP-sensitive potassium channels, insulin production is stimulated.
Jong et al. (2012) [54]	Anti-oxidation	Taurine protects the mitochondria from excessive superoxide production by binding to the uridine moiety of mitochondrial tRNA Leu.
Park et al. (1993) [55], Liu et al. (2002) [56]	Anti-inflammation	Taurine has been found to suppress the secretion of cytokines that are related to diabetes, including TNF-α and MCP-1. These cytokines are known to play a role in the development and progression of diabetes. By suppressing their secretion, taurine helps to reduce the risk or severity of diabetes.

IRS, insulin receptor substrate; JNK-1, c-Jun N-terminal kinase1; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-alpha; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1.