Albuja-Quintana Natalia, Chisaguano-Tonato Aida M, Herrera-Fontana Maria E, Figueroa-Samaniego Sandra, Alvarez-Suarez José M
Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Nutrición y Dietética, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador.
Unidad Académica de Ciencias Químicas y de la Salud, Universidad Técnica de Machala, Machala, Ecuador.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 21;20(1):e0312217. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312217. eCollection 2025.
Obesity, a complex metabolic chronic illness, is commonly accompanied by an excessive production of free radicals, which influences the development of its comorbidities. Uric acid is commonly linked to pro-oxidant effects on human health. Though recent evidence suggests its potential antioxidant properties, it is possible that the increase in circulating uric acid levels is an adaptive protective response against the detrimental effects of excess free radicals and oxidative stress present in obese individuals. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage markers with uric acid levels in overweight and obese individuals who live at sea level. This cross-sectional study included 93 adult volunteers (28 men and 65 women) from the city of Machala, El Oro, Ecuador, divided into three study groups according to Body Mass Index (normal weight, overweight, and obese). Sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle elements, and physical measurements were evaluated, and blood samples were collected from all participants. Antioxidant and oxidant markers, including Radical-Scavenging Activity Assay (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma (FRAP), Catalase (CAT) activity, Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS), and Protein Thiol Groups (SH groups), were assayed in the plasma samples. Coefficients of correlations and linear regression models were applied to evaluate the association between antioxidant/oxidant parameters and plasma uric acid levels. The antioxidant capacity, as measured by FRAP scavenging and CAT, was significantly higher in the obese group compared to the normal weight group, and uric acid levels presented a significant positive association with FRAP (b: 0.578, R: 0.459, p: 0.003) and CAT activity (b: 1.326; R: 0.432, p: 0.005) in overweight and obese individuals. Consequently, the presented evidence supports the potential antioxidant role of uric acid in the pathogenesis of obesity, contributing to our understanding of oxidative stress and inflammation that characterizes this illness.
肥胖是一种复杂的代谢性慢性疾病，通常伴随着自由基的过量产生，这会影响其合并症的发展。尿酸通常与对人体健康的促氧化作用有关。尽管最近的证据表明其具有潜在的抗氧化特性，但循环尿酸水平的升高可能是对肥胖个体中过量自由基和氧化应激的有害影响的一种适应性保护反应。因此，本研究的目的是评估海平面居住的超重和肥胖个体中抗氧化能力和氧化损伤标志物与尿酸水平之间的关联。这项横断面研究包括来自厄瓜多尔埃洛罗省马查拉市的93名成年志愿者（28名男性和65名女性），根据体重指数分为三个研究组（正常体重、超重和肥胖）。评估了社会人口学特征、生活方式因素和身体测量指标，并采集了所有参与者的血样。在血浆样本中检测了抗氧化和氧化标志物，包括自由基清除活性测定（DPPH）、血浆铁还原能力（FRAP）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性、硫代巴比妥酸反应性物质（TBARS）和蛋白质硫醇基团（SH基团）。应用相关系数和线性回归模型来评估抗氧化/氧化参数与血浆尿酸水平之间的关联。与正常体重组相比，肥胖组通过FRAP清除和CAT测量的抗氧化能力显著更高，并且超重和肥胖个体的尿酸水平与FRAP（b：0.578，R：0.459，p：0.003）和CAT活性（b：1.326；R：0.432，p：0.005）呈现显著正相关。因此，所呈现的证据支持尿酸在肥胖发病机制中的潜在抗氧化作用，有助于我们理解这种疾病所特有的氧化应激和炎症。
