Uric Acid Metabolism in Pre-hypertension and the Metabolic Syndrome

In humans uric acid (UA) is the end product of degradation of purines. The handling of UA by the renal system is a complex process which is not fully understood. To date, several urate transporters in the renal proximal tubule have been identified. Among them, urate transporter 1 (URAT1) and a glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9) are considered of greater importance, as potential targets for treatment of hyperuricemia and the potential associated cardio-metabolic risk. Therefore, the recognition of the metabolic pathway of UA and elucidation of occurrence of hyperuricemia may provide important insights about the relationship between UA, pre-hypertension (preHT) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS). W…