Uric Acid Provides Protective Role in Red Blood Cells by Antioxidant Defense: A Hypothetical Analysis

Abstract

Uric acid (UA) is a major antioxidant molecule in the human blood, and it has been linked with cell longevity. However, it is unclear whether serum UA levels are associated with red blood cell (RBC) indexes. This cross-sectional study included 10,759 Chinese subjects, recruited from the Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital from January 2014 to December 2017. The participants were categorized into gender groups and then further divided into three different subgroups according to their UA reference range as follows: low (male (UA<0.202 mmol/l), female (UA<0.143 mmol/l)), normal (male (0.417 mmol/l>UA≥0.202 mmol/l), female (0.339 mmol/l>UA≥0.143 mmol/l)), and high (male (UA≥0.417 mmol/l), female (UA≥0.339 mmol/l)). The associations of UA levels with RBC parameters were analyzed using 1-way ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and multivariate linear regression. The levels of mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, RBCs, and hemoglobin were lowest in the low UA group, followed by the normal UA group and high UA group (p<0.001). Pearson analysis showed that there was a statistically significant correlation between UA levels with mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrations, mean corpuscular volumes, RBC counts, and hemoglobin (p<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that there were statistically significant positive correlations between UA levels and RBC counts (B=0.245, p<0.001, 95% CI=0.003 to 0.092), as well as UA levels and hemoglobin concentrations (B=0.138, p<0.001, 95% CI=0.002 to 0.082). Furthermore, similar results were observed in both the male and female subgroups. The serum UA levels may be independently associated with RBC parameters, regardless of sex, and UA may protect RBCs owing to its antioxidant effect.

Pathophysiology of hyperuricemia and its clinical significance – a narrative review

“…These hypotheses are supported by results from a recent study performed by Song et al [14] showing potential protective and anti-oxidative UA effects on erythrocytes. In their study performed on 10,759 participants, a positive association between UA level and erythrocyte count as well as hemoglobin concentration was observed.…”

Erythrocytes of Little Ground Squirrels Undergo Reversible Oxidative Stress During Arousal From Hibernation

“…Being a major water-soluble antioxidant in the blood plasma with metal-chelating properties, uric acid (as well as ascorbic acid; Tøien et al, 2001;Osborne and Hashimoto, 2006) can directly scavenge singlet oxygen, • OH and peroxide radicals, as well as the oxidants that form enzymatically (Stocker and Keaney, 2004;Glantzounis et al, 2005). It is supposed (Song et al, 2019) that uric acid can function as a blood antioxidant protecting RBCs from oxidative damage, potentially increasing their life span and function. In mammalian blood vessels, NO produced by endothelial cells is involved in smooth muscle relaxation and vasodilation (Zhao et al, 2015).…”

Hyperuricemia in Psoriatic Arthritis: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Implications

“…SUA has a strong antioxidant effect and metal-chelating properties ( 22 , 29 ), acting as a scavenger of plasma nitrogen radicals and reactive oxygen species, thus reducing the production of peroxynitrite ( 29 , 30 ).…”