Objective   To explore the effect of taurine on renal cell apoptosis induced by mercury.

  Methods   24 mice were randomly divided into three groups.The mcie of control were with 0.9% saline.The mice in mercuric chloride(HgCl₂) group were intraperitoneally injected with 3.0 mg HgCl₂/kg.Mice of taurine group were pretreated with 4 mmol/kg taurine solution and two hours later were injected with 3 0 mg HgCl₂/kg.Twenty-four hours later both kidneys were exposed by laparotomy and were excised.With transmission electron microscope, to observe the renal cell apoptosis morphologic changes.With immunochemistry to detect apoptosis related gene expression of bcl-2 and bax.Stained by propidium iodide, the percent of the apoptosis cell was analyzed by flowcytometry.

  Results   In control, the shape of renal proximal tubule epithelial cell was regular; in mercury group, the damage was that the range of microvilli was severe mussily, the nuclei manifest the typical apoptosis character.The renal tissue morphology in taurine group was almost similar to control, but lymphocytes infiltrated in interstitial cell were seen.The percent of the apoptosis cell in mercury alone was distinctly higher than that of control; those of taurine mice were significantly lower than those of mercury.The expression of bcl-2 and bax in taurine had no significant different compared with the control.But compared with mercury alone, the exression of bcl-2 in taurine was dominantly increased, the expression of bax in taurine was obviously reduced.

  Conclusion   Taurine could prevent the apoptosis of kidney induced by mercury, the possible mechanism was bcl-2 level up-regulation and bax level down-regulation.