Taurine in hepatic encephalopathy.

Liver and brain are the major organs responsible for taurine synthesis. In both acute and chronic liver failure, brain taurine concentrations are decreased and, since taurine appears to be implicated in K+ and Ca2+ homeostasis in brain, such losses could contribute to the pathophysiology of hepatic encephalopathy. Furthermore, taurine concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid in experimental acute liver failure are increased early in the progression of encephalopathy and prior to the onset of cerebral edema, a potentially fatal complication of acute liver failure. These findings suggest an osmoregulatory role for taurine in brain in acute liver failure. Monitoring of cerebrospinal fluid taurine may be of prognostic value in this severe, frequently fatal disorder.