Search

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The seeds of Hovenia acerba water extract (HAW) are used as an edible traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases related to hyperuricemia (HUA)., Aim of the Study: To evaluate HAW for its anti-HUA effect and to figure out their underlying mechanisms., Materials and Methods: The anti-HUA effects were evaluated on a mouse model by testing HAW's effects on the levels of serum uric acid (SUA), the biochemical indicators of liver and kidney function, and the histology of liver and kidney. Body weight and organ coefficients were determined for safety evaluation. RT-qPCR, Western blot and transcriptomic analysis was applied to investigate key mRNAs, proteins and signaling pathways., Results: HAW significantly reduced the serum levels of UA, ALT, AST, and xanthine oxidase (XOD) and histologically alleviated the liver damage in HUA mice with no negative effect on body weight and organ coefficients. HAW markedly inhibited hepatic XOD activity and protein expression, significantly down-regulated mRNA and protein expressions of urate transporter 1 (URAT1) and glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9), and up-regulated those of ATP transporter G2 (ABCG2) and renal organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1). RNA-seq analysis showed that 248 HUA-induced differential expression genes (DEGs) were reversed by HAW in the kidney. qRT-PCR analysis showed that regulation of the expressions of HUA-related inflammatory genes were involved., Conclusion: HAW possessed remarkable anti-HUA effect. The mechanism involved XOD inhibition to reduce uric acid production, up-regulation of ABCG2 and OAT1 to increase uric acid excretion, and down-regulation of GLUT9 and URAT1 to inhibit uric acid reabsorption, and regulation of HUA-related inflammatory genes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a metabolic disorder caused by excessive production of uric acid (UA) or impaired uric acid metabolism. Smilax China L. has a wide range of pharmacological activities such as immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. Its roots and rhizomes have been widely used for the treatment of HUA. However, its mechanisms for treating HUA and reducing renal impairment have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of Smilax China L. extract (SC) on UA metabolism and further explored its mechanism of action by feeding a high-calcium and high-protein diet to chickens to induce a model of HUA in chickens. SC significantly reduced serum UA levels and improved renal function in hyperuricemic chickens. Meanwhile, SC was able to inhibit the activity of xanthine oxidase (XOD) in vivo and in vitro, reducing the production of uric acid. In addition, SC was able to increase the expression of Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP) in the kidney and ileum and increase uric acid excretion. Therefore, our results suggest that SC may be a candidate for anti-hyperuricemia., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this work, a series of novel compounds Spartinin C1-C24 were screened, synthesised and evaluated for inhibiting xanthine oxidase thus lowering serum uric acid level. The backbones were derived from the components of coastal marine source Spartina alterniflora and marketed drugs. The top hits Spartinin C10 & C22 suggested high inhibition percentages (78.54 and 93.74) at 10 μM dosage, which were higher than the positive control Allopurinol. They were low cytotoxic onto human normal hepatocyte cells. Treatment with Spartinin C10 could lower the serum uric acid level to 440.0 μM in the hyperuricemic model mice (723.0 μM), comparable with Allopurinol (325.8 μM). Spartinin C10 was more appreciated than Allopurinol on other serum indexes. The preliminary pharmacokinetics evaluation indicated that the rapid absorption, metabolism and elimination of Spartinin C10 should be further improved. The discovery of pharmaceutical molecules from coastal marine source here might inspire the inter-disciplinary investigations on public health.

Background: α-Viniferin, the major constituent of the roots of Caragana sinica (Buc'hoz) Rehder with a trimeric resveratrol oligostilbenoid skeleton, was demonstrated to possess a strong inhibitory effect on xanthine oxidase in vitro, suggesting it to be a potential anti-hyperuricemia agent. However, the in vivo anti-hyperuricemia effect and its underlying mechanism were still unknown., Purpose: The current study aimed to evaluate the anti-hyperuricemia effect of α-viniferin in a mouse model and to assess its safety profile with emphasis on its protective effect on hyperuricemia-induced renal injury., Methods: The effects were assessed in a potassium oxonate (PO)- and hypoxanthine (HX)-induced hyperuricemia mice model by analyzing the levels of serum uric acid (SUA), urine uric acid (UUA), serum creatinine (SCRE), serum urea nitrogen (SBUN), and histological changes. Western blotting and transcriptomic analysis were used to identify the genes, proteins, and signaling pathways involved., Results: α-Viniferin treatment significantly reduced SUA levels and markedly mitigated hyperuricemia-induced kidney injury in the hyperuricemia mice. Besides, α-viniferin did not show any obvious toxicity in mice. Research into the mechanism of action of α-viniferin revealed that it not only inhibited uric acid formation by acting as an XOD inhibitor, but also reduced uric acid absorption by acting as a GLUT9 and URAT1 dual inhibitor as well as promoted uric acid excretion by acting as a ABCG2 and OAT1 dual activator. Then, 54 differentially expressed (log 2 FPKM ≥ 1.5, p ≤ 0.01) genes (DEGs) repressed by the treatment of α-viniferin in the hyperuricemia mice were identified in the kidney. Finally, gene annotation results revealed that downregulation of S100A9 in the IL-17 pathway, of CCR5 and PIK3R5 in the chemokine signaling pathway, and of TLR2, ITGA4, and PIK3R5 in the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway were involved in the protective effect of α-viniferin on the hyperuricemia-induced renal injury., Conclusions: α-Viniferin inhibited the production of uric acid through down-regulation of XOD in hyperuricemia mice. Besides, it also down-regulated the expressions of URAT1 and GLUT9 and up-regulated the expressions of ABCG2 and OAT1 to promote the excretion of uric acid. α-Viniferin could prevent hyperuricemia mice from renal damage by regulating the IL-17, chemokine, and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways. Collectively, α-viniferin was a promising antihyperuricemia agent with desirable safety profile. This is the first report of α-viniferin as an antihyperuricemia agent., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors have disclosed that they do not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hyperuricemia (HUA) is an important risk factor for gout, renal dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases. The whole plant of Persicaria capitata (Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don) H. Gross, namely Persicaria capitata herba, is a well-known ethnic herb with potent therapeutic effects on urinary tract infections and urinary calculus, yet previous reports have only focused on its effect on urinary tract infections., Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic potential of P. capitata herba against gout by investigating its antihyperuricemia and antigouty arthritis effects and possible mechanisms., Methods: The ethanol extract (EP) and water extract (WP) of P. capitata herba were prepared by extracting dried and ground whole plants of P. capitata with 75% ethanol and water, respectively, followed by removal of solvents and characterization by UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS. The antihyperuricemia and antigouty arthritis effects of the two extracts were evaluated in a potassium oxonate- and hypoxanthine-induced hyperuricemia mouse model and a monosodium urate crystal (MSUC)-induced acute gouty arthritis mouse model, respectively. The mechanisms were investigated by testing their effects on the expression of correlated proteins (by Western blot) and mRNAs (by RT-PCR)., Results: UHPLC-HRMS fingerprinting and two chemical markers (i.e., quercetin and quercitrin) determination were used for the characterization of the WP and EP extracts. Both WP and EP extracts showed pronounced antihyperuricemia activities, with a remarkable decline in serum uric acid and a marked increase in urine uric acid in hyperuricemic mice. Unlike the clinical xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitor allopurinol, WP and EP did not show any distinct renal toxicities. The underlying antihyperuricemia mechanism involves the inhibition of the activity and expression of XOD and the downregulation of the mRNA and protein expression of glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9) and urate transporter 1 (URAT1). The extracts of P. capitata herba also demonstrated remarkable anti-inflammatory activity in MSUC-induced acute gouty arthritis mice. The mechanism might involve inhibitory effects on the expression of proinflammatory factors., Conclusions: The extracts of P. capitata herba possessed pronounced antihyperuricemia and antigouty arthritis effects and were, therefore, promising natural medicines for hyperuricemia-related disorders and gouty arthritis. The use of P. capitata herba for the treatment of urinary calculus may be, at least to some degree, related to its potential as an antihyperuricemia and antigouty arthritis drug., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

This study follows recent attempts to discover natural xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors from foods, focusing herein on under-researched fish proteins. The anti-hyperuricemic function of tuna flesh hydrolysate (TPH) produced using Alcalase 2.4L was confirmed in potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemic rats. TPH was separated using 80 wt% aqueous ethanol. The ethanol-soluble fraction (ESF) abundant in small peptides (<1000 Da) afforded the highest XO inhibition. Separation of ESF by Sephadex G-15 and UPLC/MS/MS revealed 13 di-/tri-peptides (12 are newly identified XO inhibitors). Their XO inhibitory activities were assessed using corresponding synthetic peptides via an improved HPLC method. Results indicate that Phe-containing peptides were more potent XO inhibitors than Trp-containing peptides, with Phe-His having the highest XO inhibitory activity (IC 50  = 25.7 mM). Molecular docking studies revealed the importance of two hydrogen bonds and one π-π stacking interaction with Phe-914 in XO for XO-peptide inhibitor binding. Phe-containing di-/tri-peptides could be potent XO inhibitors against hyperuricemia., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism in humans and its increased level in serum leads to hyperuricemia. Among the different regulatory factors to control the level of uric acid in humans, xanthine oxidase (XO) is a well-established pharmacological target, as it is directly involved in uric acid production., Methods: The aim of the study was to present a systematic approach to analyze the xanthine oxidase inhibition studies from in vitro leading to in vivo., Results: Initially, dinuclear cyclam complex 1 was evaluated for in-vitro XO inhibitory activity using a spectrophotometric assay. Significant results were obtained in XO inhibition assay (IC50 = 3.70 ± 0.07 μM), in comparison to the standard drug, allopurinol (IC50 = 2.00 ± 0.01 μM). Complex 1 showed a non-competitive type of inhibition in kinetic studies. Complex 1 was also found to be non-cytotoxic in MTT assay, as it did not affect the viability of 3T3-cell line. Based on these results, compound 1 was further evaluated for the in-vivo xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity. An in-vivo model was used to evaluate the XO inhibitory activity in plasma samples of male Wistar rats. Complex 1 showed a significant inhibition of xanthine oxidase activity (50%), in comparison to the standard inhibitor allopurinol (100%). Therefore, non-cytotoxic compound 1 could be considered as an anti-hyperurecemic lead for further studies., Conclusion: Our studies concluded that complex 1 is a non-cytotoxic inhibitor that decreases the activity of XO in a non-competitive manner. It can serve as a potential anti-hyperurecemic lead after further pre-clinical and clinical studies., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Recent evidence would indicate that high serum uric acid (SUA) levels can be a significant and independent risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, such as ischemic heart disease and heart failure. In the last few years an independent risk relationship between hyperuricemia, cardiovascular disease and mortality has also been reported. Hyperuricemia has been shown as an independent risk factor for acute myocardial infarction and an independent and conjoint association of either gout and SUA with total and cardiovascular mortality has been reported, with mortality impact in gout patients increasing with rising SUA concentrations, even for SUA levels in the normal to high range. These findings prompted a growing research interest on the possible benefits of uric acid lowering drugs in cardiovascular diseases. Indeed, clinical studies have reported on the beneficial effects of uric acid lowering drugs, in particular of xanthine oxidase inhibitors, in hypertension, ischemic heart disease and heart failure. Two main mechanisms have been claimed to explain the dangerous effects of hyperuricemia and, as a consequence, the benefits of uric acid lowering therapy: endothelial dysfunction and systemic inflammation. This brief review aims to summarize current evidence from human studies on the role of acid uric lowering therapy in cardiovascular diseases for practical and clinical purposes. The possible mechanisms underlying the benefits of acid uric lowering therapy are also addressed., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Prenylated flavanones are a family of compounds with an important biological potential. Previously, anti-tyrosinase activity, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity, and neuroprotective effects of several prenyl flavanones isolated from different American Dalea genus species were reported. The biological potency of these kinds of compounds, together with the particularity of their chemical structures, encouraged us to investigate them for in vitro and in silico anti-xanthine oxidase activity. So, five prenyl-flavanones obtained from different Dalea sp (Dalea elegans, Dalea boliviana, and Dalea pazensis) were studied and the relationships between the structure of these prenyl-flavanones and their inhibitory activity were evaluated. Molecular docking studies were performed in order to propose the binding mode of the most active natural compound. 2′,4′-dihydroxy-5′-(1‴,1‴-dimethylallyl)-8-prenylpinocembrin (1) was the most active in this series showing an IC50 of 0.26 ± 0.07 µM comparable with the reference inhibitor, allopurinol. The presence of 5,7,2′,4′-tetrahydroxy substitution, accompanied by a prenyl group at 8-position in the A-ring, and a 5′ (1‴,1‴-dimethylallyl) were important to present a xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity. This fact was confirmed with molecular docking studies showing relevant interactions of 1 with the residues of the catalytic site of xanthine oxidase, and a binding energy of −7.3297 kcal mol−1. These results contributed not only to understanding the binding mode but also to validating the in vitro results. The obtained findings lead us to propose these prenyl-flavanones as lead compounds for the design and development of novel xanthine oxidase inhibitors for the treatment of diseases in which this enzyme is involved.

Abstract Background Despite the ongoing safety-driven spate of flavonoid xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibition investigations, there is a lack of flavonoid-based uricostatic antihyperuricemic agents in clinical medicine. The poor pharmacokinetic profiles of glycosides (the natural form of existence of most flavonoids) relative to their aglycones could be largely responsible for this paradox. This investigation was aimed at providing both functional and molecular bases for the possible discovery of XOD inhibitory (or uricostatic) anti-hyperuricemic flavonoid aglycones from the leaves of a flavonoid-rich medicinal plant, Tribulus terrestris. To this end, the flavonoid aglycone fraction of T. terrestris leaf extract (FATT) was evaluated in vivo for antihyperuricemic activity in ethanol-induced hyperuricemic mice, monitoring serum and liver uric acid levels. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies were carried out on the three major flavonoid aglycones of T. terrestris (isorhamnetin, quercetin and kaempferol) against an inhibitor conformation XOD model. The three flavonoids were also subjected to in vitro XOD activity assay, comparing their IC50 to that of allopurinol, a standard uricostatic antihyperuricemic drug. Results FATT significantly lowered serum uric acid (p

Peptides with xanthine oxidase (XOD)-inhibitory activities are potential dietary interventions for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. In this study, Macadamia integrifolia antimicrobial protein 2 (MiAMP2) was chosen for in silico proteolysis with pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin through ExPASy PeptideCutter, and the obtained peptides were further screened by water solubility, ADMET prediction and molecular docking. Four novel peptides, namely RPLY, PGPR, HGGR and GPY, were supposed to be non-toxic and have XOD-inhibitory potential. Molecular docking analysis showed that these peptides were able to bind to the active sites (such as Leu873, Phe914 and Thr1010) of XOD through interactions mainly including conventional hydrogen bond, alkyl and pi-interaction. These peptides were further synthesized to verify their in vitro XOD-inhibitory activities, and the IC50 values of PGPR, GPY and HGGR were shown to be 24.84 ± 0.02, 30.44 ± 0.33 and 24.89 ± 0.19 mM, respectively. Kinetic experiments demonstrated that PGPR and HGGR are mixed-type inhibitors, and GPY is a competitive inhibitor toward XOD with the inhibitory constant (Ki) values ranging from 1.09 to 8.98. Our results suggested that MiAMP2 is an important source of bioactive peptides for the management of hyperuricemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modulation of xanthine oxidase (XO) activity is critical to the treatment of hyperuricemia and oxidative stress-related disease. Although the walnut protein hydrolysates had been reported to inhibit XO, their interaction mechanism remained unclear. Herein, the walnut protein-derived peptides were used to evaluate their in vitro XO-inhibitory activity and their inhibitory mechanism. The results suggested that Trp-containing walnut protein-derived peptides were able to effectively inhibit XO, moreover, the increased number of Trp would significantly enhance the XO-inhibitory activity of Trp-containing peptides. Similar to the allopurinol, Trp had active interaction with the critical residues Glu802, Leu873, Ser876, Arg880, Phe914, Phe1009, Thr1010, Val1011, Leu1014, Ala1078, Ala1079 and molybdopterin MOS3004 of XO, making Trp-containing peptide have high XOI activity. Simultaneously, the Trp-containing walnut protein-derived peptide also had been found to show great potential in antioxidant activity. Present work would introduce functional food-derived peptides for the improvement of hyperuricemia and oxidative stress-related disease.

Graphical abstract Highlights • Trp-containing walnut peptides inhibited xanthine oxidase. • Peptide enhanced xanthine oxidase inhibition with increasing number of Trp residues. • Molecular docking of XO with 20 amino acids, 400 dipeptides and 8000 tripeptides. • Trp-containing peptides had high antioxidant activity. Abstract The modulation of xanthine oxidase (XO) activity is critical to the treatment of hyperuricemia and oxidative stress-related disease. Although the walnut protein hydrolysates had been reported to inhibit XO, their interaction mechanism remained unclear. Herein, the walnut protein-derived peptides were used to evaluate their in vitro XO-inhibitory activity and their inhibitory mechanism. The results suggested that Trp-containing walnut protein-derived peptides were able to effectively inhibit XO, moreover, the increased number of Trp would significantly enhance the XO-inhibitory activity of Trp-containing peptides. Similar to the allopurinol, Trp had active interaction with the critical residues Glu802, Leu873, Ser876, Arg880, Phe914, Phe1009, Thr1010, Val1011, Leu1014, Ala1078, Ala1079 and molybdopterin MOS3004 of XO, making Trp-containing peptide have high XOI activity. Simultaneously, the Trp-containing walnut protein-derived peptide also had been found to show great potential in antioxidant activity. Present work would introduce functional food-derived peptides for the improvement of hyperuricemia and oxidative stress-related disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5-Aryl-1 H -tetrazoles ( 1 – 24 ) were synthesized and screened for their xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity using allopurinol as standard inhibitor (IC 50  = 2.0 ± 0.01 µM). Six compounds 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 , 21 , and 24 exhibited significant to weak activities with IC 50 values in the range of 7.4–174.2 µM. Active compounds were further subjected to kinetic and molecular docking studies to deduce their modes of inhibition, and to study their interactions with the protein (XO) at atomic level, respectively. Interestingly, all these compounds showed a competitive mode of inhibition. Docking studies identified several important interactions between the ligand and the receptor protein (XO). Some of these interactions were similar to that exhibited by clinical inhibitors of XO (allopurinol, and febuxostat). This study identifies 5-aryl-1 H -tetrazoles as a new class of xanthine oxidase inhibitors, which deserves to be further, investigated for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the safety, pharmacological properties, and urate-lowering efficacy of febuxostat, a non-purine, selective inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, a Phase 1, 2-week, multiple-dose, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study was conducted in 154 healthy adults of both sexes. Daily febuxostat doses in the range 10 mg to 120 mg resulted in proportional mean serum urate reductions ranging from 25% to 70% and in proportional increases in maximum febuxostat plasma concentrations and area under plasma concentration versus time curves. Accompanying the hypouricemic effect were increases in serum xanthine concentrations, decreases in urinary uric acid excretion, and increases in urinary xanthine and hypoxanthine excretion, confirming inhibition of xanthine oxidase activity by febuxostat. Hepatic conjugation and oxidative metabolism were the major pathways of elimination of febuxostat from the body, and renal elimination did not appear to play a significant role. Although not uncommon, adverse events were mild and self-limited, and no deaths or serious adverse events were observed. Febuxostat is a safe and potent hypouricemic agent in healthy humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]