title: Urate in Parkinson's disease: more than a biomarker?
abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with characteristic motor manifestations. Although appreciation of PD as a multisystem disorder has grown, loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra remains a pathological and neurochemical hallmark, accounting for the substantial symptomatic benefits of dopamine replacement therapies. However, currently no treatment has been shown to prevent or forestall the progression of the disease in spite of tremendous efforts. Among multiple environmental and genetic factors that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of PD, oxidative stress is proposed to play a critical role. A recent confluence of clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory evidence identified urate, an antioxidant and end product of purine metabolism, as not only a molecular predictor for both reduced risk and favorable progression of PD but also a potential neuroprotectant for the treatment of PD. This review summarizes recent findings on urate in PD and their clinical implications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 114 16th Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. xchen17@partners.org
authors.forename: Xiqun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Guanhui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schwarzschild
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D014527:Uric Acid