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Neuroprotection elicited by taurine in sporadic Alzheimer-like disease: benefits on memory and control of neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of rats
Huf F, Gutierres JM, da Silva GN, Zago AM, Koenig LFC, Fernandes MC.. Molecular and cellular biochemistry, 2023-10-24
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
This study aimed to analyze whether taurine has a nootropic effect on short-term and long-term memory in a model of sporadic dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT). Moreover, we evaluated the immunoreactivity and insulin receptor (IR) distribution and markers for neurons and glial cells in the hippocampus of rats with SDAT and treated with taurine. For this, Male Wistar rats received STZ (ICV, 3 mg/kg, bilateral, 5ul per site, aCFS vehicle) and were treated with taurine (100 mg/kg orally, 1 time per day, saline vehicle) for 25 days. The animals were divided into 4 groups: vehicle (VE), taurine (TAU), ICV-STZ (STZ) and ICV-STZ plus taurine (STZ + TAU). At the end of taurine treatment, short- and long-term memory were assessed by performance on object recognition and Y-maze tasks. Insulin receptor (IR) was evaluated by immunoperoxidase while mature neurons (NeuN), astrocytes (GFAP, S100B, SOX9), and microglia (Iba-1) were evaluated by immunofluorescence. STZ induced worse spatial and recognition memory (INDEX) in YM and ORT tasks. Taurine protected against STZ-induced memory impairment. SDAT reduced the population of mature neurons as well as increased astrocytic and microglial reactivity, and taurine protected against these STZ-induced effects, mainly in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Taurine increases IR expression in the hippocampus, and protects against the reduction in the density of this receptor in CA1 induced by STZ. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that taurine is able to enhance memory, up-regulates IR in the hippocampus, protects the neuron population, and reduces the astrogliosis found in SDAT.
Key findings
- In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that taurine is able to enhance memory, up-regulates IR in the hippocampus, protects the neuron population, and reduces the astrogliosis found in SDAT.
Why it matters
In rats with a sporadic Alzheimer-like condition, taurine improved memory, protected neurons and reduced astrogliosis in the hippocampus. This is animal research, so it does not yet show that taurine helps people with Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 37/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Molecular and cellular biochemistry) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry: journal h-index 171 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2024 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Laboratory or animal study (title names “rats”) — scores zero |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 20 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.0 citations a year over 4 year(s) since 2024 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 19 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Marilda da Cruz Fernandes: h-index 23 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre: institution h-index 144 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 37874493) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 37 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Huf, F., Gutierres, J. M., da Silva, G. N., Zago, A. M., Koenig, L. F. C., & Fernandes, M. C. (2024). Neuroprotection elicited by taurine in sporadic Alzheimer-like disease: benefits on memory and control of neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of rats. Molecular and cellular biochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-023-04872-3
Vancouver
Huf F, Gutierres JM, da Silva GN, Zago AM, Koenig LFC, Fernandes MC. Neuroprotection elicited by taurine in sporadic Alzheimer-like disease: benefits on memory and control of neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of rats. Molecular and cellular biochemistry. 2024. doi:10.1007/s11010-023-04872-3. PMID: 37874493.
BibTeX
@article{huf2024-37874493,
author = {Huf, F. and Gutierres, J. M. and da Silva, G. N. and Zago, A. M. and Koenig, L. F. C. and Fernandes, M. C.},
title = {{Neuroprotection elicited by taurine in sporadic Alzheimer-like disease: benefits on memory and control of neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of rats}},
journal = {Molecular and cellular biochemistry},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1007/s11010-023-04872-3},
pmid = {37874493},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-023-04872-3}
}
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