Taurine prevents cardiomyocyte apoptosis by inhibiting the calpain-1/cytochrome c pathway during RVH in broilers

The calpain-1-activated apoptotic pathway plays a key role in right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). Taurine has been shown to attenuate apoptosis by inhibiting calpain activity. This experiment aimed to determine whether taurine could prevent RVH by inhibiting the calpain-1/cytochrome c apoptotic pathway. The broilers were given 1% taurine dissolved in drinking water and were raised at 10 °C ~ 12 °C from day 21 to day 42. At 21 d, 28 d, 35 d and 42 d, the right ventricular (RV) tissues were collected. Increased RVH index, angiotensin II, norepinephrine and atrial natriuretic peptide mRNA expression were reduced by taurine in the broiler RVs. Taurine obviously inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis via maintaining the mitochondrial membrane potential and decreased the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 in the broiler RVs. The antioxidant assay demonstrated that taurine enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase and the glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio. Western blot results revealed that taurine also downregulated the expression of calpain-1 and cytosolic cytochrome c while upregulating the expression of Bcl-2/Bax and mitochondrial cytochrome c in broiler cardiomyocytes during RVH. In summary, we found that taurine could enhance cardiomyocyte antioxidant ability and further prevented cardiomyocyte apoptosis by inhibiting the calpain-1/cytochrome c pathway during RVH in broilers.