Effect of Taurine on Viability and Proliferation of Murine Melanoma B16F10 Cells

This study was aimed at investigating the possible mechanism of the anti-proliferative effect of taurine on B16F10 melanoma cells using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and neutral red assays and microscopic analysis. Apoptotic cells were detected by flow cytometry analysis. The proteins involved in apoptosis and cellular differentiation were assessed by immunoblot analysis. Taurine inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell death in B16F10 cells. In this study, taurine was used to examine whether it could be a potential chemotherapy agent for skin cancer. Our data suggest that taurine inhibits B16F10 cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis and cellular differentiation.