Uric acid, once viewed as an inert metabolic end-product of purine metabolism, has been
recently incriminated in a number of chronic disease states, including hypertension,
metabolic syndrome, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and chronic kidney disease.
Several experimental and clinical studies support a role for uric acid as a contributory causal
factor in these conditions. Here we discuss some of the major mechanisms linking uric acid
to metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. At this time the key to understanding the …