Taurine reduces glycolysis of pig skeletal muscle by inhibiting HIF‐1α signaling

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of taurine on skeletal muscle glycolysis in pigs. The results showed that dietary supplementation of taurine significantly reduced the activities of hexokinase (HK), phosphofructose kinase (PFK), and pyruvate kinase (PK) in finishing pigs. Meanwhile, taurine reduced the protein and mRNA expression levels of hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF‐1α) and the mRNA expression of glycolytic enzyme related genes (such as HK type II, HK Ⅱ; pyruvate kinase M2, PKM2; lactate dehydrogenase A, LDHA). In addition, taurine reduced the expression of HIF‐1α, lactate content, and the expression of glycolysis related genes in porcine myotubes. These results suggest that taurine may regulate glycolysis in skeletal muscle of finishing pigs through the HIF‐1α signaling pathway. To further investigate the mechanism by which taurine affects skeletal glycolysis, HIF‐1α activator dimethyloxalyl glycine (DMOG) was used to treat porcine myotubes, our results showed that DMOG significantly increased the protein and mRNA expression levels of HIF‐1α, lactate content, and glycolytic enzyme (HK, PFK, PK, and LDH) activity, but taurine treatment significantly inhibited this effect. Taken together, these results of in vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that taurine reduces skeletal muscle glycolysis by inhibiting HIF‐1α signaling.