astaxanthine and Hyperuricemia

Inflammation is an important pathological feature of hyperuricemia, which in turn aggravates hyperuricemia. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid with strong antioxidant capacity and possesses many biological activities. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of astaxanthin (ASX) on hyperuricemia and kidney inflammation in potassium oxonate (PO) and hypoxanthine (HX)-induced hyperuricemic mice. Male ICR mice were administered intragastrically with PO and HX (250 mg/kg, respectively) for 14 days. ASX was given by gavage one hour after PO and HX administration. ASX treatment significantly reversed PO and HX-induced hyperuricemia and kidney inflammation in mice as evidenced by decreased serum levels of uric acid (UA), creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and increased activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD and GSH-Px). Furthermore, ASX administration effectively inhibited the activities of key enzymes related to UA synthesis (xanthine oxidase (XOD) and adenosine deaminase (ADA)) and modulated the protein expressions of NF-κ B p65, p-NF-κ B p65, Iκ Bα, p-Iκ Bα, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, and cleavedCaspase-1 involved in inflammation pathways. Our results suggested that ASX improved hyperuricemia and kidney inflammation induced by PO and HX, probably by reducing UA synthesis and suppressing the NF-κ B and NLRP3 pathways simultaneously.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Hyperuricemia; Hypoxanthine; Inflammation; Kidney; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; NF-kappa B; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein; Oxonic Acid; Signal Transduction; Transcription Factor RelA; Uric Acid; Xanthine Oxidase; Xanthophylls

This study was designed to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of Astaxanthin (AST) on high-fructose-induced hyperuricemia (HUA) from the perspectives of the uric acid (UA) synthesis and excretion in rat models. Following six weeks of a 10% fructose diet, the level of serum UA effectively decreased in the AST groups as compared to the model group. The enzymatic activities of xanthine oxidase (XOD) and adenosine deaminase (ADA) were significantly inhibited, and the mRNA expression levels of XOD and ADA significantly decreased after the AST administration. These results suggested that the AST reduced UA synthesis by inhibiting the mRNA expressions and enzyme activities of XOD and ADA, thereby contributing to HUA improvement. On the hand, the relative expressions of the mRNA and protein of kidney reabsorption transport proteins (GLUT9 and URAT1) were significantly down-regulated by AST, while that of the kidney secretion proteins (OAT1, OAT3 and ABCG2) were significantly up-regulated by AST. These results indicated that the AST promoted UA excretion by regulating the urate transport proteins, and thus alleviated HUA. This study suggested that the AST could serve as an effective alternative to traditional medicinal drugs for the prevention of fructose-induced HUA.

Topics: Adenosine Deaminase; Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors; Animals; Biomarkers; Disease Models, Animal; Fructose; Hyperuricemia; Kidney; Liver; Male; Membrane Transport Proteins; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Renal Reabsorption; Uric Acid; Xanthine Oxidase; Xanthophylls