taurine

Term: taurine

Literally meaning: “pertaining to bull”

Origin: Anc Greek

ταύρος/taurus (=bull, ox)

Coined/History 

Taurine isolated in 1827 by German Friedrich Triedemann (1781-18861) and  Leopold Gmelin (1788-1853)  who isolated it from ox bile.

Source

F. Tiedemann, L. Gmelin (1827). "Einige neue Bestandtheile der Galle des Ochsen". Annalen der Physik 85 (2): 326–37. 

Definition

 Taurine is a free amino acid and not part of any protein in human body. It is essential in newborns but in adults it can be synthesized by sulphur-containing cysteine. Taurine is important for skeletal muscle function and the development of retina and the central nervous system. It has also a detoxifying effect in some organs like pancreas and liver. It is found in foods like  meat, dairy products, poultry and eggs. 

Sourse

1 De la Puerta C, Arrieta FJ, Balsa JA, Botella-Carretero JI, Zamarrón I, Vázquez C.Taurine and glucose metabolism: a review. Nut Hosp. 2010 Nov-Dec;25(6):910-9.