ABSTRACT
A number of studies have suggested that there is an interaction between hypotaurine and taurine biochemically and possibly functionally as antioxidants. Thus, the antioxidant relationship may be determined by some mathematical formula related to the concentrations and turnover of both chemical species. In addition to being a metabolic intermediate, hypotaurine has been suggested to be an antioxidant in a number of biological systems, including the lung, neutrophils, and sexual tissue such as sperm. The antioxidant properties of taurine seem to be related not to its ability to prevent oxidation, but to ameliorate the damage of the oxidation. The values may be explained by conversion of hypotaurine to taurine during high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Hypotaurine, together with taurine, and its related enzyme systems may serve as another fundamental antioxidant regenerating system. Lung oxidant injury is accompanied by metabolic changes including lipid peroxidation, membrane leakage, and the mobilization of antioxidant compounds such as glutathione, ascorbic acid, and vitamin E.
