| Summary: | Uric acid, the end product of purine catabolism in humans and is known for its crystal deposition at
higher concentrations (>7 mg/dl) in gout. Less is known about its antioxidant property and the
beneficial effects in various diseases. It is thought that high concentration of uric acid in humans is an
evolutionary advantage and it is also hypothesized that high concentration of uric acid is to
compensate the antioxidant capacity of ascorbic acid which is lost in humans during the course of
evolution. In the extracelluar environment, uric acid can scavenge free radicals like hydroxyl radical,
singlet oxygen and peroxynitrite radical therefore, it is considered as a powerful antioxidant. On the
other hand uric acid depending upon the chemical milieu, changing its property and at times it acts as
pro oxidant and is associated with the pathobiochemistry in developing various diseases like
hypertension, cardio vascular diseases, ischemia reperfusion injury, diabetes mellitus, non alcoholic
fatty liver disorders etc. In this review, we tried to summarize the evolutionary advantages of
hyperuricaemia, effects of both antioxidant property and pro-oxidant nature of uric acid in various
disease conditions.
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