Depletion of feline taurine levels by β-alanine and dietary taurine restriction

We have used β-alanine, a competitive inhibitor of taurine transport, to perturb taurine stores in cats, a species dependent on dietary taurine to maintain such stores. β-Alanine was supplied in the drinking water for 20 weeks to cats receiving adequate taurine nutrition and to cats that had been deprived of dietary taurine for a long period of time. Tissue taurine concentrations were greatly reduced in both groups of cats. Large amounts of β-alanine accumulated in visceral tissues of both groups of cats and in neural tissues of taurine-deprived cats, but only small amounts accumulated in neural tissues of taurine-supplemented cats. Bile acids conjugated to β-alanine were found in bile, especially of taurine-deprived cats.