Research sheds light on connection between uric acid and Parkinson's disease

"We hope the evidence provided here will stimulate additional research to understand better the links between uric acid and Parkinson′s Disease," Fatemeh Seifar from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and colleagues wrote in their study published in Movement Disorders. "It remains important to elucidate these mechanisms because they provide new insight into PD's pathogenesis or novel treatment approaches."

Several studies have linked Parkinson′s Disease with low uric acid levels. Low uric acid has been linked with the risk of developing PD and its severity and progression. However, there has been no crisp understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying these relationships. The most commonly proposed mechanism is that uric acid is an antioxidant. Low uric acid is thought to predispose to oxidative stress, contributing to dopamine neuron degeneration that results in an initial appearance of Parkinson's Disease and its worsening over time. Many recent studies have questioned this explanation.

In the review, Dr Seifar and the team described the biology of uric acid, its many links with Parkinson's Disease, and evidence regarding UA as an antioxidant. They questioned whether uric acid causes Parkinson's Disease or contributes to its progression. They also addressed the possibility that something about PD causes low uric acid (reverse causation) or that low UA is a biomarker of other more relevant mechanisms in Parkinson's Disease.

The review sheds more light on the correlation between uric acid and Parkinson's Disease and provides clues to the pathogenesis and treatment of PD. The ideas discussed in the review may change the current research direction.

About Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease, a neurodegenerative disease, is a progressive disorder that impacts the nervous system and body parts controlled by the nerves. It is characterized by chronic and progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in substansia nigra pars compact. Oxidative stress is proposed to play an important role in PD's pathogenesis.

As an essential physiological antioxidant, Uric acid is identified as a molecular predictor linked with reduced risk and slower disease progression for PD and a potential neuroprotectant of PD by increasing clinical and epidemiological evidence.

Reference:

Seifar F, Dinasarapu AR, Jinnah HA. Uric Acid in Parkinson's Disease: What Is the Connection? Mov Disord. 2022 Nov;37(11):2173-2183. doi: 10.1002/mds.29209. Epub 2022 Sep 3. PMID: 36056888; PMCID: PMC9669180.