title: Effects of uric acid on hearts of rats with chronic kidney disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of uric acid on cardiac lesions and its possible mechanism by establishing an early-stage CKD animal model with hyperuricemia. Allopurinol was used to see whether it could reduce cardiac lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The experimental rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 15): Group A (sham-operative group), Group B (CKD group), Group C (CKD with hyperuricemia group), Group D (CKD with hyperuricemia + allopurinol group). After 16 weeks, the rats were sacrificed and blood samples were collected for detection of Scr, SUA, hs-CRP and IL-6. Kidney and heart tissues were pathologically examined. The collagen I of heart tissues was examined by immunohistochemistrical methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obvious pathological changes could be observed in Group C. However, compared to Group C, the pathological changes in Group D were lighter. The proportion of collagen I positive area (PCIPA) in Group C was significantly higher than that in Group A, B and D. Univariate analysis showed that the SUA level had a significant positive correlation with PCIPA in myocardium. IL-6 and hs-CRP levels in Group C were significantly higher than in Group A, B and D. Univariate analysis showed that the SUA level had a significant positive correlation with IL-6 and hs-CRP, and PCIPA in myocardium had a significant positive correlation with hs-CRP and IL-6 levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were obvious cardiac lesions in early-stage CKD rats with hyperuricemia, and the severity of cardiac lesions was positively related to the level of SUA. Micro-inflammation might be one mechanism causing cardiac lesions. Allopurinol could alleviate cardiac lesions in early-stage CKD rats by lowering the SUA level, which, in turn, could reduce the severity of micro-inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Jinshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, Jinshan District, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaorong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Cuifang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000493:Allopurinol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006074:Gout Suppressants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D006074:Gout Suppressants; D014527:Uric Acid; D000493:Allopurinol