2017 年 6 巻 1 号 p. 33-39
Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a sulfur-containing β-amino acid present in high concentrations in most tissues, including skeletal muscle, liver, blood, and brain. Taurine has been suggested to have positive effects on some of the physiologic functions considered to be a cause of fatigue during exercise: Ca2+ handling in excitation–contraction coupling, regulation of ion channels, oxidative stress, and the inflammatory response. However, how and where taurine affects these processes have not been elucidated fully. Some in vitro studies have suggested that taurine treatment improves the contractile properties of skeletal muscle. Several studies have suggested that taurine is involved in regulation of energy metabolism. In contrast, whole-body taurine transporter knockout mice exhibit severe intolerance to exercise. Based on these observations, whether taurine treatment may prevent/attenuate fatigue during exercise and then improve exercise performance in humans and experimental animals has been studied. Some recent studies have investigated the effects of taurine administration on post-exercise recovery. Our group investigated the effects of taurine treatment on fatigue induced by endurance exercise. We found that post-exercise taurine administration enhanced the recovery of skeletal muscle glycogen, which is the major determinant for exercise performance. In this review, we introduce studies investigating the effects of taurine administration on exercise-induced fatigue and post-exercise recovery.