Uric acid is a nitrogenous waste product produced through purine degradation in human metabolism. Throughout evolution, humans have lost the ability to degrade uric acid through the loss of the uricase enzyme. Therefore, when produced in excess uric acid can build up and cause negative health outcomes including inflammation, gout, and kidney stones. About 30% of waste uric acid is removed through the large intestine and may be able to interact with the gut microbiome. We hypothesized that certain gut bacteria can degrade uric acid into the less harmful water-soluble metabolite allantoin. In this study, strains of gut bacteria were screened for uric acid degrading activities. By utilizing uric acid’s low water solubility, crystalized uric acid was used in agar plates to observe clear zone forming gut bacteria. Bacteria from Human and Mouse fecal samples were screened this way on three different types of media. Isolated strains were also cultured with soluble uric acid in liquid media to determine degradation rates of uric acid. Overall, our results demonstrated that gut bacteria may have the ability to lower the level of uric acid in the large intestine to help alleviate the negative health effects caused by elevated uric acid in humans.

Uric acid-degrading bacteria: A promising strategy to control hyperuricemia

ACS Fall 2021

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