Uric acid, also known as urate or 2,6,8-trioxopurine, is a member of the class of compounds known as xanthines. Xanthines are purine derivatives with a ketone group conjugated at carbons 2 and 6 of the purine moiety. Uric acid is slightly soluble (in water) and a very weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa). Uric acid can be found in a number of food items such as common beet, romaine lettuce, greenthread tea, and european plum, which makes uric acid a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Uric acid can be found primarily in most biofluids, including amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), feces, and bile, as well as throughout most human tissues. Uric acid exists in all living species, ranging from bacteria to humans. In humans, uric acid is involved in few metabolic pathways, which include azathioprine action pathway, mercaptopurine action pathway, purine metabolism, and thioguanine action pathway. Uric acid is also involved in several metabolic disorders, some of which include xanthinuria type I, xanthine dehydrogenase deficiency (xanthinuria), adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency, and mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. Moreover, uric acid is found to be associated with diabetes mellitus type 2, impaired glucose tolerance, xanthinuria type 1, and canavan disease. Uric acid is a heterocyclic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen with the formula C5H4N4O3. It forms ions and salts known as urates and acid urates, such as ammonium acid urate. Uric acid is a product of the metabolic breakdown of purine nucleotides, and it is a normal component of urine. High blood concentrations of uric acid can lead to gout and are associated with other medical conditions including diabetes and the formation of ammonium acid urate kidney stones . In higher primates and humans, the enzyme, uricase, is absent, and thus uric acid is not further metabolized and is excreted. In all other mammals, uric acid is metabolized by uricase to allantoin, which is then excreted (DrugBank).
Belongs to the class of organic compounds known as xanthines. These are purine derivatives with a ketone group conjugated at carbons 2 and 6 of the purine moiety.
