An integrated metabonomics study to reveal the inhibitory effect and metabolism regulation of taurine on breast cancer

Breast cancer is a common metastatic malignant tumor in women. Taurine has been found to have anti-tumor effects on a variety of cancers. However, to the best of our knowledge, the role of taurine in the metastasis of breast cancer has not been reported. Thus, this study examined the effects of taurine on the growth and lung metastasis of breast cancer. Furthermore, the metabolism of serum, tumor tissue, and lung metastasis tissue were studied in a 4T1 subcutaneously transplanted breast cancer model through the integration of a 1H NMR-based metabonomics approach and histopathological assessments. The results showed that taurine significantly attenuated the tumor growth and lung metastasis, improved the pathological structure of tumor and lung tissue, and improved the metabolic disorders in 4T1 breast cancer mice. Additionally, taurine reversed the changes in serum lactate, creatine, and choline caused by the progression of breast cancer tumors. The levels of leucine/ isoleucine, valine, alanine, arginine, methionine, glutamate, histidine, trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), taurine, and glucose in tumor tissues decreased, with an increment in lipids, lactate, and N-acetyl glycoprotein. Also, there was a reversal of leucine/isoleucine, valine, lactate, arginine, N-acetyl glycoprotein, glutamate, histidine, choline, and glycerophosphocholine/phosphocholine (GPC/PC) in the lung tissues. These metabolites changes were involved in the metabolic pathways of glycolysis, choline, amino acid, and lipid, suggesting that taurine exerted anti-breast cancer effects through the regulation of the underlying metabolism. This study provides a scientific basis for the adoption of taurine in the treatment of breast cancer metastasis.