Uricase: Chemical properties & Uses

Chemical properties

Uricase is a slightly green crystalline or glossy translucent strip. Almost insoluble in water, slightly soluble in ealkaline buffer, quite stable in ph7.5～10.5 solution. Significant absorption was shown in 330～350nm area, and it can be passivated by cyanide ion. A small amount (10-4mol•L- 1) of Potassium cyanide can inhibit the activity of the enzyme. The products also include lyophilized powder (using sodium carbonate as a stabilizer), ammonium sulfate suspension and glycerin solution.

Uses

Uricase is a new drug with uric acid-lowering effects, also known as Uricase and Urate Oxidase, which is characterized with a function of promotion of the breakdown of uric acid. It catalyzes the oxidation of uric acid to allantoic acid, which is no longer reabsorbed by the renal tubules and is excreted, thereby reducing uric acid content in plasma. It is used by patients who cannot take drugs to inhibit uric acid production by mouth. It has good effects on hyperuricemia caused by uric acid stones, nodular gout, leukemia and renal failure etc.

Uricase is clinically used to determine the amount of uric acid in serum and urine. It is also clinically used in the treatment of hyperuricemia caused by urinary stones, nodular gout, and renal insufficiency. However, local skin redness and sometimes systemic ramie-like itching. may occur after intramuscular.

Reference

W. Templeton: An Introduction to the Chemistry of the Terpenoids and Steroids, Butterworths, London 1969.
W. J. Tayler, A.R. Battersby: Cyclopentanoid Terpene Derivatives, Marcel Dekker, New York 1969.
O. Aschan: Naphthenverbindungen, Terpene und Campherarten, De Gruyter, Berlin 1929.
J. ApSimon: The Total Synthesis of Natural Products, vol. 2, J. Wiley, New York 1973.