Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1981 Nov;78(11):6858-62.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.11.6858.

Uric acid provides an antioxidant defense in humans against oxidant- and radical-caused aging and cancer: a hypothesis

B N Ames, R Cathcart, E Schwiers, P Hochstein

Uric acid provides an antioxidant defense in humans against oxidant- and radical-caused aging and cancer: a hypothesis

B N Ames et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Nov.

Abstract

During primate evolution, a major factor in lengthening life-span and decreasing age-specific cancer rates may have been improved protective mechanisms against oxygen radicals. We propose that one of these protective systems is plasma uric acid, the level of which increased markedly during primate evolution as a consequence of a series of mutations. Uric acid is a powerful antioxidant and is a scavenger of singlet oxygen and radicals. We show that, at physiological concentrations, urate reduces the oxo-heme oxidant formed by peroxide reaction with hemoglobin, protects erythrocyte ghosts against lipid peroxidation, and protects erythrocytes from peroxidative damage leading to lysis. Urate is about as effective an antioxidant as ascorbate in these experiments. Urate is much more easily oxidized than deoxynucleosides by singlet oxygen and is destroyed by hydroxyl radicals at a comparable rate. The plasma urate levels in humans (about 300 microM) is considerably higher than the ascorbate level, making it one of the major antioxidants in humans. Previous work on urate reported in the literature supports our experiments and interpretations, although the findings were not discussed in a physiological context.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Science. 1978 Sep 8;201(4359):875-80 - PubMed
    1. J Biol Chem. 1977 Oct 10;252(19):6721-8 - PubMed
    1. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1978 Dec;45(6):927-32 - PubMed
    1. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1979 Mar 15;87(1):184-91 - PubMed
    1. J Gerontol. 1980 Jan;35(1):45-56 - PubMed

Publication types