Key result
Taurine deficiency reduces LV systolic pressure ~38% vs replacement in cats, demonstrating inotropic depression.
Why the study?
The causal association between dietary taurine deficiency and myocardial failure leading to dilated cardiomyopathy in cats was investigated.
Does taurine replacement prevent systolic and diastolic dysfunction in cats fed a taurine-deficient diet?
Does taurine replacement prevent systolic and diastolic dysfunction in cats fed a taurine-deficient diet?
Absolute Event Rate: 66% vs 107%
p-value: p=<0.05
Dietary taurine deficiency induces myocardial contractile dysfunction and left ventricular chamber dilatation in cats, establishing a causal link to dilated cardiomyopathy in this species.
Taurine deficiency impairs feline LV function; leaves open clinical relevance to human cardiomyopathy pending prospective trials.
Isovolumic left ventricular (LV) preparations were used to assess myocardial failure associated with dietary taurine deficiency in cats. Adult female cats (n = 12) were fed a purified diet devoid of taurine for 6-8 mo. Six of the cats received 1,000 mg of crystalline taurine orally once daily. The remaining six cats were not provided taurine replacement. Compared with control preparations, hearts isolated from taurine-deficient cats generated significantly lower values for developed LV systolic pressure (107 +/- 6 vs. 66 +/- 15 mmHg; P less than 0.05), maximal rate of LV pressure rise (+dP/dtmax; 1,103 +/- 38 vs. 718 +/- 172 mmHg/s; P less than 0.05), and fall (-dP/dtmax; 930 +/- 46 vs. 587 +/- 129 mmHg/s; P less than 0.05). LV function curves generated by hearts from taurine-deficient cats were shifted downward and to the right of control curves, demonstrating inotropic depression. In addition, end-diastolic pressure-volume (compliance) relationships in hearts from taurine-deficient cats were shifted downward and to the right of controls in the direction of increased chamber compliance or distensibility. Ten millimolar taurine significantly improved inotropic indexes only in hearts from taurine-deficient cats but failed to affect diastolic compliance. Myocardial contractile dysfunction and LV chamber dilatation in hearts from taurine-deficient cats verify a causal association between dietary deficiency of this amino acid and dilated cardiomyopathy in this species.
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Novotny et al. (1991) studied Dietary taurine deficiency / myocardial failure (n=12). Dietary taurine deficiency vs. Taurine replacement (1,000 mg orally once daily) was evaluated on Developed left ventricular systolic pressure (mmHg) (p=<0.05). Dietary taurine deficiency in cats significantly reduced developed left ventricular systolic pressure compared to taurine replacement (66 vs 107 mmHg; P<0.05), demonstrating inotropic depression.
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