Cited by 95Gout, Hyperuricemia, Uric AcidHeart Failure Treatment and ManagementNitric Oxide and Endothelin Effects

Uric Acid Is a Biomarker of Oxidative Stress in the Failing Heart: Lessons Learned from Trials With Allopurinol and SGLT2 Inhibitors

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Packer, Milton·2020·Journal of Cardiac Failure

Abstract

Hyperuricemia increases the risk of heart failure, and higher levels of serum uric acid are seen in patients who have worse ventricular function, functional capacity, and prognosis. Heart failure is also accompanied by an upregulation of xanthine oxidase, the enzyme that catalyzes the formation of uric acid and a purported source of reactive oxygen species. However, the available evidence does not support the premise that either uric acid or the activation of xanthine oxidase has direct injurious effects on the heart in the clinical setting. Xanthine oxidase inhibitors (allopurinol and oxypurinol) have had little benefit and may exert detrimental effects in patients with chronic heart failure in randomized controlled trials, and the more selective and potent inhibitor febuxostat increases the risk of cardiovascular death more than allopurinol. Instead, the available evidence indicates that changes in xanthine oxidase and uric acid are biomarkers of oxidative stress (particularly in heart failure) and that xanthine oxidase may provide an important source of nitric oxide that quenches the injurious effects of reactive oxygen species. A primary determinant of the cellular redox state is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, whose levels drive an inverse relationship between xanthine oxidase and sirtuin-1, a nutrient deprivation sensor that exerts important antioxidant and cardioprotective effects. Interestingly, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors induce a state of nutrient deprivation that includes activation of sirtuin-1, suppression of xanthine oxidase, and lowering of serum uric acid. The intermediary role of sirtuin-1 in both uric acid-lowering and cardioprotection may explain why, in mediation analyses of large-scale cardiovascular trials, the effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors to decrease serum uric acid is a major predictor of the ability of these drugs to decrease serious heart failure events.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cardfail.2020.08.015

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Authors
Packer, M.
Affiliations
Baylor University Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Packer, Milton
Venue
Journal of Cardiac Failure
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-11
Volume
26
Issue
11
Pages
977-984
ISSN
1071-9164 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3082543969
Cited by
95
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 1
FWCI
7.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Cardiac Failure (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Nephrology › Gout, Hyperuricemia, Uric Acid
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Failure Treatment and Management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nitric Oxide and Endothelin Effects
Keywords
uric acid, hyperuricemia, heart failure, oxidative stress, xanthine oxidase, allopurinol, febuxostat, oxypurinol, SGLT2 inhibitors, SIRT1, NAD+, nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, biomarkers, cardioprotection, mediation analysis
MeSH terms
Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2 Inhibitors, Allopurinol, Enzyme Inhibitors, Heart Failure, Humans, Uric Acid, Biomarkers, Oxidative Stress

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