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Impact of taurine on red blood cell metabolism and implications for blood storage
Author(s) -
Bertolone Lorenzo,
Roy Micaela Kalani,
Hay Ariel M.,
Morrison Evan J.,
Stefai Davide,
Fu Xiaoyun,
Kanias Tamir,
Kleinman Steve,
Dumont Larry J.,
Stone Mars,
Nemkov Travis,
Busch Michael P.,
Zimring James C.,
D'Alessandro Angelo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/trf.15810
Subject(s) - taurine , ex vivo , antioxidant , glutathione , chemistry , oxidative stress , red blood cell , in vivo , metabolism , biochemistry , hydrogen peroxide , hemolysis , medicine , biology , in vitro , amino acid , enzyme , microbiology and biotechnology
BACKGROUND Taurine is an antioxidant that is abundant in some common energy drinks. Here we hypothesized that the antioxidant activity of taurine in red blood cells (RBCs) could be leveraged to counteract storage‐induced oxidant stress. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Metabolomics analyses were performed on plasma and RBCs from healthy volunteers (n = 4) at baseline and after consumption of a whole can of a common, taurine‐rich (1000 mg/serving) energy drink. Reductionistic studies were also performed by incubating human RBCs with taurine ex vivo (unlabeled or 13 C 15 N‐labeled) at increasing doses (0, 100, 500, and 1000 μmol/L) at 37°C for up to 16 hours, with and without oxidant stress challenge with hydrogen peroxide (0.1% or 0.5%). Finally, we stored human and murine RBCs under blood bank conditions in additives supplemented with 500 μmol/L taurine, before metabolomics and posttransfusion recovery studies. RESULTS Consumption of energy drinks increased plasma and RBC levels of taurine, which was paralleled by increases in glycolysis and glutathione (GSH) metabolism in the RBC. These observations were recapitulated ex vivo after incubation with taurine and hydrogen peroxide. Taurine levels in the RBCs from the REDS‐III RBC‐Omics donor biobank were directly proportional to the total levels of GSH and glutathionylated metabolites and inversely correlated to oxidative hemolysis measurements. Storage of human RBCs in the presence of taurine improved energy and redox markers of storage quality and increased posttransfusion recoveries in FVB mice. CONCLUSION Taurine modulates RBC antioxidant metabolism in vivo and ex vivo, an observation of potential relevance to transfusion medicine.