Biochemical and Histological Analyses of Taurine's Therapeutic Triad: Antidiabetic, Antioxidant, and Anti-inflammatory Effects in Alloxan-induced Diabetic Rats

Background: Diabetes mellitus poses a significant health challenge worldwide. Oxidative stress, altered lipid profile, and inflammation are linked to diabetic complications. Objective: This work aimed to assess the effects of taurine (TAU) in alloxan (ALX)-induced diabetes in rats, evaluating its antihyperglycemic, antidyslipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, evaluating the effect of TAU on hepatic, renal, and cardiac complications. Materials and Methods: Fifty rats were divided into four groups, control, TAU, ALX, and ALX + TAU. At the end of the experiment, blood and tissue were collected and subjected to serum glucose, insulin, lipid profile, liver enzyme, creatinine, urea detection, oxidative-antioxidant parameters evaluation, inflammatory, anti-inflammatory cytokines detection, and histological evaluation. Results: Experimental results demonstrated that TAU effectively mitigated hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and inflammatory conditions induced by ALX. TAU treatment improved serum glucose and insulin levels, restored lipid profiles, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, and reduced lipid peroxidation. In addition, TAU ameliorated hepatic and renal function alterations preserved histological architecture in the pancreas, liver, kidney, and heart tissues, and modulated inflammatory responses by diminishing the inflammatory mediators interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α while augmenting the anti-inflammatory mediator IL-10. Conclusions: TAU exerts a therapeutic effect on ALX-induced hepatic, renal, and cardiac diabetic complications by lowering blood glucose levels, augmenting insulin secretion, ameliorating dyslipidemia, preserving the oxidative-redox balance, and boosting antioxidant activity. TAU has also an anti-inflammatory impact.