Beneficial effects of taurine on 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced oxidative and histopathological damage in the heart tissue of rats

Abstract

This study investigated the protective effects of taurine against 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)–induced cardiotoxic damage in rats. Adult male Wistar rats (250–300 g) were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 8 per group): Control, TCDD, TAU, and TCDD + TAU. TCDD (2 μg/kg/week) and/or taurine (200 mg/kg/day) were administered via gavage for 30 days. Following the experimental period, heart tissue samples were collected for analysis. Oxidative stress parameters, including thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and glutathione (GSH) levels, were assessed using biochemical methods. Histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluations of cardiac tissue were also performed. The TCDD group showed significantly increased TBARS levels (p < 0.05) and decreased SOD activity and GSH levels (p < 0.001) compared with the Control group. In contrast, taurine co-administration significantly increased SOD activity and GSH levels while reducing TBARS levels relative to the TCDD group. Moreover, TCDD exposure induced marked histopathological alterations in heart tissue, whereas taurine co-administration attenuated these structural alterations. Immunohistochemical findings indicated that taurine attenuated TCDD-induced apoptosis by reducing caspase-3 activation. Overall, taurine effectively mitigated TCDD-induced oxidative stress, histopathological damage, and apoptotic signaling in cardiac tissue, suggesting that taurine co-administration may exert protective effects against TCDD-induced cardiotoxicity.