Article
Uric acid, hominoid evolution, and the pathogenesis of salt-sensitivity.
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) - 1 Sept 2002
Watanabe Susumu, Kang Duk-Hee, Feng Lili, Nakagawa Takahiko, Kanellis John, Lan Hui, Mazzali Marilda, Johnson Richard J
Abstract excerpt
Humans have elevated serum uric acid as a result of a mutation in the urate oxidase (uricase) gene that occurred during the Miocene. We hypothesize that the mutation provided a survival advantage because of the ability of hyperuricemia to maintain blood pressure under low-salt dietary conditions, such as prevailed during that period. Mild hyperuricemia in rats acutely increases blood pressure by a renin-dependent...
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