Biochemistry of uridine in plasma.

Uridine is a pyrimidine nucleoside that plays a crucial role in synthesis of RNA, glycogen, and biomembrane. In humans, uridine is present in plasma in considerably higher quantities than other purine and pyrimidine nucleosides, thus it may be utilized for endogenous pyrimidine synthesis. Uridine has a number of biological effects on a variety of organs with or without disease, such as the reproductive organs, central and peripheral nervous systems, and liver. In addition, it is used in clinical situations as a rescue agent to protect against the adverse effects of 5-fluorouracil. Since the biological actions of uridine may be related to its plasma concentration, it is important to examine factors that have effects on that concentration. Factors associated with an increase in plasma concentration of uridine include enhanced ATP consumption, enhanced uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucose consumption via glycogenesis, inhibited uridine uptake by cells via the nucleoside transport pathway, increased intestinal absorption, and increased 5-phosphribosyl-1-pyrophosphate and urea synthesis. In contrast, factors that decrease the plasma concentration of uridine are associated with accelerated uridine uptake by cells via the nucleoside transport pathway and decreased pyrimidine synthesis.