Taurine ameliorates oxidative stress by regulating PI3K/Akt/GLUT4 pathway in HepG2 cells and diabetic rats

Abstract The study evaluated the capacity of taurine on insulin resistance amelioration in HepG2 cells induced by BSA and palmitic acid (PA) and diabetes-related metabolic changes in type 2 diabetic rats. In vitro, taurine alleviated insulin resistance in HepG2 cells, increased glucose consumption and improved oxidative stress. Further, taurine could up-regulate the expression of PI3K, Akt and GLUT4, which could improve insulin resistance. In vivo, taurine supplementation markedly regulated blood glucose and improved the oxidative stress in T2DM rats. The improvement of related metabolic parameters and oxidative stress was in part associated with the impact of taurine on activating PI3K, Akt and GLUT4 in liver. In summary, the finding suggested that taurine have potential benefits on improving dysfunction in diabetes rats and mitigating insulin resistance in HepG2 cells via activation of PI3K/Akt/GLUT4 pathways.