Taurine and potassium bromate damage in rat intestine
What it found
In rats, a single dose of potassium bromate damaged the small intestine, and giving taurine beforehand greatly reduced that damage.
Taurine alone had no effect.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Intestinal enzymes
Potassium bromate alone lowered the activity of four brush border enzymes in the rat intestine. Giving taurine beforehand brought the enzyme activities back near control values. Taurine alone did not change them.
Oxidative stress markers
Potassium bromate alone raised markers of fat and protein oxidation about four fold and increased hydrogen peroxide, while lowering total sulfhydryl and glutathione. Taurine beforehand significantly reduced these changes. Taurine alone had no effect.
Antioxidant enzymes
Potassium bromate changed the activities of several antioxidant enzymes in the rat intestine. Pre-treatment with taurine significantly lessened those changes.
DNA damage
In the comet assay, potassium bromate caused DNA damage in intestinal cells, seen as longer comet tails. Taurine beforehand reduced the tail length. Taurine alone did not damage DNA.
DNA fragmentation and cross-links
Potassium bromate increased DNA-protein cross-links about three fold and DNA fragmentation about two fold in the rat intestine. Taurine beforehand significantly decreased both. Taurine alone had no effect.
Intestinal tissue
Microscopy showed extensive damage to the rat duodenum after potassium bromate, with loss of villi structure and inflammation. Taurine beforehand greatly reduced this tissue damage. Taurine alone caused no lesions.
What the authors conclude
“These results show that taurine ameliorates bromate induced tissue toxicity and oxidative damage by improving the antioxidant defence, tissue integrity and energy metabolism.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say taurine reduces bromate-induced tissue toxicity and oxidative damage by improving antioxidant defence, tissue integrity and energy metabolism.
- They suggest taurine could potentially be used as a protective agent against the toxicity of potassium bromate and related compounds.
- They call for further studies to work out exactly how taurine protects the gut from potassium bromate.
How it was done
Potassium bromate is used as a food additive and forms during water disinfection. It is a probable human carcinogen and causes damage to several organs, so the authors looked for a dietary antioxidant that might protect the intestine.
They gave rats either water, a single oral dose of potassium bromate at 100 mg/kg, taurine at 100 mg/kg per day for five days, or taurine for five days followed by potassium bromate. There were six rats in each group, and the animals were killed 48 hours after the last treatment.
What it can’t tell you
- These are rat studies. They cannot show what happens in people.
- The rats were given a single large dose of potassium bromate, not the small amounts people might take in over time.
- The study looked at short-term damage, not whether taurine prevents any long-term effects.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Authors work at
- Aligarh Muslim University, India
The paper
- Title
- Chemoprotective effect of taurine on potassium bromate-induced DNA damage, DNA-protein cross-linking and oxidative stress in rat intestine
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ahmad MK, Khan AA, Ali SN, Mahmood R (2015). Chemoprotective effect of taurine on potassium bromate-induced DNA damage, DNA-protein cross-linking and oxidative stress in rat intestine. PloS one. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0119137Free full textPubMed 25748174DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error