ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1587198
This article is part of the Research TopicHarnessing the Potential of Functional Foods Containing Bioactive Compounds: Implications for Health and SustainabilityView all 6 articles
Taurine alleviates hyperuricemia-induced nephropathy in rats: Insights from microbiome and metabolomics
Provisionally accepted
Xiujuan Yang1Hengxi Li1Daermu Qumu1Binhui Han1Mukaram Amatjan2Qiyao Wu1Lanting Wei1Bo Li1Mengxue Ma1Junjie He1San Wang1Yingzhi Yu1
Xiaoni Shao1*- 1College of Pharmacy, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
- 2Xinjiang Institute of Materia Medica, Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China
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Background: Gut microbiota play a critical role in developing hyperuricemic nephropathy (HN). We previously found that sulfur-containing amino acid taurine (T) has nephroprotective effects in hyperuricemia (HUA) rats. However, the mechanism is still unclear. In order to investigate the underlying mechanism of T, rats were fed adenine and ethambutol hydrochloride for the introduction of HN.Methods: Pathological changes in the kidney were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. 16S rDNA sequencing and metabolomics analysed changes in the gut microbiota and faecal metabolism, and in vitro experiments were conducted to investigate the potential action and mechanism of T against HN.In vitro results demonstrated that T could inhibit NF-κB, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and ROS in UA-induced HK-2 cells. It also improved renal function, ameliorated renal fibrosis, and reversed enteric dysbacteriosis in HN rats. These results showed that T protects against HN through the modulation of metabolites mediated by the gut microbiota. Meanwhile, gut microbiota included Lactobacillus and Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group showed correlations with nephroprotective profiles of T. The combined analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomics indicated that the anti-HN effects of T could be achieved through phenylalanine metabolism, caffeine metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, retinol metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism.These findings suggest that the potential protective mechanism of T for HN is not only related to altered metabolic pathways and downregulation of inflammatory cytokines but also to the reciprocal regulation of microbiota structure and metabolism.
Keywords: Taurine, Hyperuricemia, nephropathy, Gut Microbiota, Metabolomics
Received: 04 Mar 2025; Accepted: 27 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Li, Qumu, Han, Amatjan, Wu, Wei, Li, Ma, He, Wang, Yu and Shao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiaoni Shao, College of Pharmacy, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
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