Taurine in Lower Concentration Attenuates Platelet Activity

Taurine, 2-aminoethanesulphonic acid is a common ingredient of energy drinks which is very popular with young adults. Taurine in energy drinks is known to enhance muscular performance in athletes. However, caffeine in high concentrations as found in most energy drinks have also been implicated to play an adverse role leading to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Hyper activation of platelets is one of the major risk factors of CVD. The aim of the study was to evaluate effect of taurine alone on platelet aggregation and activation of platelet surface antigens by flowcytometry. It is hypothe- sized that taurine's antioxidant property would inhibit platelet activity. Twelve healthy, male and female, volunteers aged 20-60 years were recruited for this study. A statistically significant inhibition of platelet aggregation was observed upon stimulation with agonists adenosine diphosphate (ADP), collagen and arachidonic acid (AA) (p<0.05). The platelet surface expression of PAC1 and p-selectin induced by all three agonists also decreased compared to baseline but was not statisti- cally significant. In conclusion this study demonstrated that taurine at a concentration of 500µM (energy drinks contain approximately 31mM taurine), inhibits the platelet hyperactivity in platelet rich plasma. Further mechanistic and interven- tional studies are required to examine the pathway involved in support of beneficial role of taurine in prevention of risk factors leading to cardiovascular disorders. Synergistic effect of varying doses of caffeine and taurine will also be evaluated to obtain most effective and protective doses for energy drinks.