Unusual hypoxanthine hydroxylation system in hepatopancreas of Helix pomatia (Gastropoda)

The enzymatic system in hepatopancreas of H. pomatia (terrestrial purinotelic gastropod) hydroxylates hypoxanthine to xanthine and uric acid but fails to hydroxylate adenine, nicotinic acid and 3-methyl-6- hydroxypurine ; allopurinol is hydroxylated to oxypurinol 7 times faster than hypoxanthine to xanthine; at concentration of 10(-6) M it inhibits hydroxylation of hypoxanthine by 55%. Two protein fractions [precipitated at 0-0.30 (I) and 0.30-0.45 (II) saturation with (NH4)2 SO4] hydroxylate hypoxanthine with NAD+ as a cosubstrate but only fraction I, predominating during the active life, hydroxylates also xanthine and is inhibited by NADH. Protein fraction II, dominant during winter sleep, does not hydroxylate xanthine and its hypoxanthine-hydroxylating activity is not inhibited by NADH. The latter property may enable continuous operation of the protein catabolic pathway under anaerobiosis.     

Effects of allopurinol on beer-induced increases in plasma concentrations and urinary excretion of purine bases (uric acid, hypoxanthine, and xanthine).

To determine the effects of allopurinol on beer-induced increases in plasma and urinary excretion of purine bases (hypoxanthine, xanthine, and uric acid), we performed three experiments on five healthy study participants. In the first experiment (combination study), the participants ingested beer (10 ml/kg body weight) eleven hours after taking allopurinol (300 mg). In the second experiment (beer-only study), the same participants ingested beer (10 ml/kg body weight) alone, while in the third experiment (allopurinol-only study), they took allopurinol (300 mg) alone. There was a two-week interval between each of the studies. Beer-induced increases in plasma concentration and urinary excretion of hypoxanthine in the combination study were markedly higher than those in the beer-only study. On the other hand, the sum of increases in plasma concentrations of purine bases in the beer-only study was greater than in the combination study, whereas the increase in plasma uridine concentration in the combination study did not differ from the beer-only study. In addition, allopurinol administration inhibited the beer-induced increase in plasma concentration of uric acid. These results suggest that abrupt adenine nucleotide degradation may increase plasma concentration and urinary excretion of hypoxanthine under conditions of low xanthine dehydrogenase activity, which is mostly ascribable to allopurinol. Further, the difference in the sum of increases in plasma concentrations of purine bases between the combination study and beer-only study was largely ascribable to a greater increase in urinary excretion of hypoxanthine in the combination study. In addition, allopurinol intake seems to be effective in controlling the rapid increase in plasma uric acid caused by ingestion of alcoholic beverages.     

Purine Catabolism in Advanced Carotid Artery Plaque

This study was carried out on carotid artery plaque and plasma of 50 patients. We analyzed uric acid, hypoxanthine, xanthine, and allantoin levels to verify if enzymatic purine degradation occurs in advanced carotid plaque; we also determined free radicals and sulphydryl groups to check if there is a correlation between oxidant status and purine catabolism. Comparing plaque and plasma we found higher levels of free radicals, hypoxanthine, xanthine, and a decrease of some oxidant protectors, such as sulphydryl groups and uric acid, in plaque. We also observed a very important phenomenon in plaque, the presence of allantoin due to chemical oxidation of uric acid, since humans do not have the enzyme uricase. The hypothetical elevated activity of xanthine oxidase in atherosclerosis could be reduced by specific therapies using its inhibitors, such as oxypurinol or allopurinol.     

Purine catabolism in advanced carotid artery plaque

This study was carried out on carotid artery plaque and plasma of 50 patients. We analyzed uric acid, hypoxanthine, xanthine, and allantoin levels to verify if enzymatic purine degradation occurs in advanced carotid plaque; we also determined free radicals and sulphydryl groups to check if there is a correlation between oxidant status and purine catabolism. Comparing plaque and plasma we found higher levels of free radicals, hypoxanthine, xanthine, and a decrease of some oxidant protectors, such as sulphydryl groups and uric acid, in plaque. We also observed a very important phenomenon in plaque, the presence of allantoin due to chemical oxidation of uric acid, since humans do not have the enzyme uricase. The hypothetical elevated activity of xanthine oxidase in atherosclerosis could be reduced by specific therapies using its inhibitors, such as oxypurinol or allopurinol.     

Ureide biogenesis and the enzymes of ammonia assimilation and ureide biosynthesis in nitrogen fixing pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) nodules

Allantoic acid production from IMP, XMP, inosine, xanthosine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, uric acid and allantoin was investigated by incubating each of these substrates withCajanus cajan cytosol and bacteroid fractions separately in the presence and absence of NAD+ and allopurinol. Allantoic acid synthesis by bacteroid fraction could only be observed with uric acid and allantoin as substrates. Addition of NAD⁺ or allopurinol to the reaction mixtures had no effect. However, with cytosol fraction, allantoic acid was produced by each of these substrates, with maximum rate with allantoin. With NAD⁺ or with allopurinol, allantoic acid was produced only with uric acid and allantoin as substrates. NADH production with cytosol fraction could again be observed with all the substrates. Except with uric acid and allantoin, allopurinol completely inhibited NADH formation. Regardless of the presence or absence of allopurinol, none of the substrates exhibited significant activity with bacteroid fraction. Based on the activities of glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase, glutamate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, asparagine synthetase, nucleotidase, nucleosidase, xanthine de-hydrogenase, uricase and allantoinase and their intracellular localisation in various nodule fractions, a probable pathway for the biogenesis of ureides in pigeonpea nodules has been proposed     

Identification of Hypoxanthine Transport and Xanthine Oxidase Activity in Brain Capillaries

Microvessel segments were isolated from rat brain and used for studies of hypoxanthine transport and metabolism. Compared to an homogenate of cerebral cortex, the isolated microvessels were 3.7-fold enriched in xanthine oxidase. Incubation of the isolated microvessels with labeled hypoxanthine resulted in its rapid uptake followed by the slower accumulation of hypoxanthine metabolites including xanthine and uric acid. The intracellular accumulation of these metabolites was inhibited by the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol. Hypoxanthine transport into isolated capillaries was inhibited by adenine but not by representative pyrimidines or nucleosides. Similar results were obtained when blood to brain transport of hypoxanthine in vivo was measured using the intracarotid bolus injection technique. Thus, hypoxanthine is transported into brain capillaries by a transport system shared with adenine. Once inside the cell, hypoxanthine can be metabolized to xanthine and uric acid by xanthine oxidase. Since this reaction leads to the release of oxygen radicals, it is suggested that brain capillaries may be susceptible to free radical mediated damage. This would be most likely to occur in conditions where the brain hypoxanthine concentration is increased as following ischemia.     

Clearance of oxypurines in normal subjects and in gout patients subjected to a purine-free diet. Effects of allopurinol

The clearance of uric acid, hypoxanthine and xanthine has been examined in gout patients and in normal subjects compared to creatinine, after a purine-free diet. The treatment decreased the clearance in normal subjects, but showed an opposite effect in gout patients. The clearances both of uric acid, hypoxanthine and xanthine were enhanced by allopurinol. The interpretation of the observed variations is discussed.     

Conversion of purines to xanthine by Methanococcus vannielii

Based on the finding that Methanococcus vannielii can employ any of several purines as the sole nitrogen source, an investigation was undertaken to elucidate the pathways of purine metabolism in this organism. Cell-free extracts of M. vannielii converted guanine, uric acid, and hypoxanthine to xanthine and also formed guanine from guanine nucleotides or guanosine. The conversions of guanine and uric acid to xanthine appear to occur by pathways similar to those described in clostridia. The conversion of hypoxanthine to xanthine, however, is different than that described for Clostridium cylindrosporum and C. acidiurici, but is similar to that of C. purinolyticum, and apparently involves the direct oxidation of hypoxanthine to xanthine.     

Urate oxidase of Chlamydomonas reinhardii

Urate oxidase (EC 1.7.3.3) of Chlamydomonas reinhardii cells grown on purines and purine derivatives has been partially characterized. Crude enzyme preparations have a pH optimum of 9.0, require O₂ for activity, have an apparent K_m of 12 μ M for urate, and are inhibited by high concentrations of this substrate. Enzyme activity was particularly sensitive to metal ion chelating agents like cyanide, cupferron, diethyldithiocarbamate and o -phenanthroline, and to structural analogues of urate like hypoxanthine and xanthine. Chlamydomonas cells grow phototrophically on adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, urate, allantoin or allantoate as sole nitrogen source, indicating that in this alga the standard pathway of aerobic degradation of purines of higher plants, animals and many microorganisms operates. As deduced from experiments in vivo , urate oxidase from Chlamydomonas is repressed in the presence of ammonia or nitrate.     

Crystal structures of the active and alloxanthine-inhibited forms of xanthine dehydrogenase from Rhodobacter capsulatus.

Xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH), a complex molybdo/iron-sulfur/flavoprotein, catalyzes the oxidation of hypoxanthine to xanthine followed by oxidation of xanthine to uric acid with concomitant reduction of NAD+. The 2.7 A resolution structure of Rhodobacter capsulatus XDH reveals that the bacterial and bovine XDH have highly similar folds despite differences in subunit composition. The NAD+ binding pocket of the bacterial XDH resembles that of the dehydrogenase form of the bovine enzyme rather than that of the oxidase form, which reduces O(2) instead of NAD+. The drug allopurinol is used to treat XDH-catalyzed uric acid build-up occurring in gout or during cancer chemotherapy. As a hypoxanthine analog, it is oxidized to alloxanthine, which cannot be further oxidized but acts as a tight binding inhibitor of XDH. The 3.0 A resolution structure of the XDH-alloxanthine complex shows direct coordination of alloxanthine to the molybdenum via a nitrogen atom. These results provide a starting point for the rational design of new XDH inhibitors.     

Analysis of purines in urinary calculi by high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-pressure liquid chromatography method has been developed for the analysis in urinary calculi of six purines: uric acid, 2, 8-dihydroxyadenine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, allopurinol, and oxypurinol. Separation was conducted isocratically on a reversed-phase column, using 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 5.5) / methanol (97/3, v/v) as mobile phase. Limits of detection, depending on compound, ranged from 7 to 28 microg/g stone weight. Hitherto, no reports have appeared on other purines present with uric acid in stones, due to lack of a sensitive and specific analytical method. We have now found that all calculi with more than 4% uric acid also contained 1-methyluric and 7-methyluric acids and trace amounts of hypoxanthine, xanthine, and 2,8-dihydroxyadenine. Accurate identification and quantitation of purines in urinary calculi are important for the diagnosis of rare metabolic diseases leading to urolithiasis (xanthinuria, dihydroxyadeninuria), as well as for prevention of iatrogenic complications during treatment with allopurinol of uric acid urolithiasis. The method may be used for reference purposes in clinical laboratories and for research on the pathogenesis of urolithiasis in disorders of purine metabolism.     

Utilization of organic compounds as the sole source of nitrogen by Thiobacillus thiooxidans

Thiobacillus thiooxidans DSM 504 was shown to grow with adenine, hypoxanthine, xanthine and uric acid as sole sources of nitrogen. Growth with these compounds was observed after lag periods of varying lengths, unless the cells had been previously grown with the same purine base. The disappearance of adenine was accompanied by a temporary accumulation of hypoxanthine in the medium. The utilization of purines was inhibited by ammonia (1 mM). Guanine, pyrimidines and some other organic compounds were not utilized.Non-standard abbreviation U-¹⁴C uniformly labeled by ¹⁴C     

Metabolomic profiling of the effects of allopurinol on Drosophila melanogaster

Metabolomic profiling using hydrophilic interaction chromatography in combination with Fourier transform mass spectrometry was used to study the effects of the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol on wild type Drosophila melanogaster. Allopurinol treatment phenocopied the rosy mutation causing an elevation in the levels of xanthine and hypoxanthine and a fall in the levels of uric acid and allantoin. However, in addition there were some unexpected metabolic changes after treatment. Ascorbic acid levels were undetectable, glutathione levels fell and glutathione disulphide levels rose, methionine S-oxide levels rose and riboflavin levels fell. The origin of this oxidative stress was not immediately apparent; however, there was a strong suggestion that it might be related to a fall in NADPH levels linked to a reduction in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, resulting in reduced levels of some metabolites in the pentose phosphate pathway. In addition to producing oxidative stress there were marked effects on tryptophan metabolism with most of the metabolites in the kynurenine pathway being lowered by allopurinol treatment. The effects on the kynurenine pathway could be related to the established use of allopurinol in treating schizophrenia.     

Uric acid utilization by Mycobacterium intracellulare and Mycobacterium scrofulaceum isolates

Forty-nine human and environmental isolates of Mycobacterium intracellulare and Mycobacterium scrofulaceum were tested for their ability to grow on uric acid and a number of its degradation products. Nearly all (88 to 90%) strains used uric acid or allantoin as a sole nitrogen source; fewer (47 to 69%) used allantoate, urea, or possibly ureidoglycollate. Enzymatic activities of one representative isolate demonstrated the existence of a uric acid degradation pathway resembling that in other aerobic microorganisms.     

Management of Hyperuricemia with Rasburicase Review

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a serious complication in patients with hematological malignancies. Massive lysis of tumor cells can lead to hyperuricemia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcaemia. These metabolic disturbances may result in renal failure, because of precipitation of uric acid crystals and calcium phosphate salts in the kidney. The standard prophylaxis or treatment of hyperuricemia consists of decreasing uric acid production with allopurinol and facilitating its excretion by urinary alkalinization and hyperhydration. By inhibiting the enzyme xanthine oxidase, allopurinol blocks the conversion of hypoxanthine and xanthine into uric acid. An alternative treatment is urate oxidase which oxidates uric acid into allantoin. Allantoin is 5–10 times more soluble than uric acid and is therefore excreted easily. In several clinical trials rasburicase, the recombinant form of urate oxidase, has shown to be very effective in preventing and treating hyperuricemia. Rasburicase, in contrast with the non‐recombinant form of urate oxidase uricozyme, is associated with a low incidence of hypersensitivity reactions. In addition to the demonstrated clinical benefit, rasburicase also proved to be a cost‐effective option in the management of hyperuricemia.     

The influx of uric acid and other purines into everted jejunal sacs of the rat and hamster.

The in vitro transport of [2-14-C]uric acid, [8-14-C]hypoxanthine, and [8-14-C]xanthine, each dissolved in Krebs--Ringer bicarbonate buffer, was studied with everted jejunal sacs from rat and hamster. No evidence could be obtained for the development of a concentration gradient between the intracellular fluid and the incubation medium or between the sac contents and the incubation medium, for any of the three oxypurines. Inhibitiors of active transport, such as anaerobiosis for dinitrophenol, had no significant effect on the rate of transport. A large percentage of hypoxanthine and xanthine was oxidized to urine acid in the sac-wall homogenate, sac contents, and incubation medium during the course of the incubation. This oxidation could be prevented by addition of allopurinol (3 mM) to the incubation medium, but concentration gradients were still not obtained. No active transport mechanism could be demonstrated for uric acid, hypoxanthine, or xanthine in rat or hamster jejunum.     

Efficacy and Safety of Allopurinol in Patients with the Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome and Partial Hypoxanthine- Phosphoribosyltransferase Deficiency: a Follow-up Study of 18 Spanish Patients

Allopurinol is used widely for the treatment of purine disorders such as gout, but efficacy and safety of allopurinol has not been analyzed systematically in an extensive series of patients with HPRT deficiency. From 1984 to 2004 we have diagnosed 30 patients with HPRT deficiency. Eighteen patients (12 with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome or complete HPRT deficiency, and 6 with partial HPRT deficiency) were treated with allopurinol (mean dose, 6.44 mg/Kg of weight per day) and followed-up for at least 12 months (mean follow-up 7,6 years per patient). Mean age at diagnosis was 7 years (range, 5 months to 35 years). Treatment with allopurinol was associated to a mean reduction of serum urate concentration of 50%, and was normalized in all patients. Mean urinary uric acid excretion was reduced by 75% from baseline values, and uric acid to creatinine ratio was close or under 1.0 in all patients. In contrast, hypoxanthine and xanthine urinary excretion rates increased by a mean of 6 and 10 times, respectively, compared to baseline levels. These modifications were similar in patients with complete or partial HPRT deficiency. In 2 patients xanthine stones were documented despite allopurinol dose adjustments to prevent markedly increased oxypurine excretion rates. Neurological manifestations did not appear to be influenced by allopurinol therapy. Allopurinol is a very efficacy and fairly safety drug for the treatment of uric acid overproduction in patients with complete and partial HPRT deficiency. Allopurinol was associated with xanthine lithiasis.     

Genetic and metabolic regulation of purine base transport in Neurospora crassa.

Summary Neurospora crassa can utilize various purine bases such as xanthine or uric acid and their catabolic products as a nitrogen source. The early purine catabolic enzymes in this organism are regulated by induction and by ammonium repression. Studies were undertaken to investigate purine base transport and its regulation in Neurospora. The results of competition experiments with uric acid and xanthine transport strongly suggest that uric acid and xanthine share a common transport system. It was also shown that the common transport system for uric acid and xanthine is distinct from a second transport system shared by hypoxanthine, adenine and guanine, and apparently also distinct from the transport system(s) for adenosine, cytosine and uracil. Regulation of the uric acid-xanthine transport system and the hypoxanthine-adenine-guanine transport system was studied. The results reveal that the uric acid-xanthine transport system is regulated by ammonium repression, but does not require uric acid induction. Neither ammonium repression nor uric acid induction controls the hypoxanthine-adenine-guanine transport system. A gene, designated amr, which is believed to be a positive regulatory gene for nitrogen metabolism of Neurospora crassa, was found to dramatically affect both the uric acid-xanthine transport system and the hypoxanthine-adenine-guanine transport system. A model for the action of the amr locus as a positive regulatory gene and for the interaction between the amr gene product and its recognition sites will be discussed.     

Purification and Properties of Uricase from Enterobacter cloacae

Uricase activity was found in Enterobacter cloacae KY3074 grown on guanine, hypoxanthine, uric acid, and xanthine media. The enzyme was purified from cells grown on uric acid as a source of nitrogen. The purification procedure included ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-150, and column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and DEAE-Sephadex. The enzyme had a molecular weight of about 105,000 and was specific for uric acid. The optimum pH was around 9.5, and the activity was inhibited by the presence of potassium cyanide, Ag⁺ or Cu²⁺. This uricase can be used for estimation of uric acid.