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Version 1
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The Role of Uric Acid in Human Health: Insights from the Uricase Gene
Version 1
: Received: 23 August 2023 / Approved: 23 August 2023 / Online: 24 August 2023 (03:53:34 CEST)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Roman, Y.M. The Role of Uric Acid in Human Health: Insights from the Uricase Gene. J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13, 1409. Roman, Y.M. The Role of Uric Acid in Human Health: Insights from the Uricase Gene. J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13, 1409.
Abstract
The accumulation of loss of function mutations in the uricase gene well explains the high urate levels in hominoids (apes and humans) compared to other mammals. The loss of human uricase activity may have allowed humans to survive environmental stressors, evolution bottlenecks, and life-threatening pathogens. While high urate levels may contribute to developing cardiometabolic disorders such as hypertension and insulin resistance, low urate levels may increase the risk for neurodegenerative diseases. The double-edged sword effect of uric acid has resurrected a growing interest in the antioxidant role of urate and the role of the uricase gene in modulating the risk of obesity. Characterizing both the effect of uric acid levels and the uricase gene in different animal models may provide new insights into the potential therapeutic benefits of uric acid and novel uricase-based therapy.
Keywords
neurodegenerative diseases; cardiovascular diseases; fructose metabolism; adaptation; evolutionary biology; genomics; gout; hyperuricemia
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Life Sciences
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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