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A Surprising Role for Uric Acid: The Inflammatory Malaria Response

  • CRYSTAL ARTHRITIS (MH PILLINGER, SECTION EDITOR)
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Abstract

Malaria, which is caused by Plasmodium parasite erythrocyte infection, is a highly inflammatory disease with characteristic periodic fevers caused by the synchronous rupture of infected erythrocytes to release daughter parasites. Despite the importance of inflammation in the pathology and mortality induced by malaria, the parasite-derived factors inducing the inflammatory response are still not well characterized. Uric acid is emerging as a central inflammatory molecule in malaria. Not only is uric acid found in the precipitated form in infected erythrocytes, but high concentrations of hypoxanthine, a precursor for uric acid, also accumulate in infected erythrocytes. Both are released upon infected erythrocyte rupture into the circulation where hypoxanthine would be converted into uric acid and precipitated uric acid would encounter immune cells. Uric acid is an important contributor to inflammatory cytokine secretion, dendritic cell and T cell responses induced by Plasmodium, suggesting uric acid as a novel molecular target for anti-inflammatory therapies in malaria.

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Conflict of Interest

Julio Gallego-Delgado, Maureen Ty, Jamie M. Orengo, Diana van de Hoef, and Ana Rodriguez declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human subjects performed by any of the authors. With regard to the authors’ research cited in this paper, all institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York University School of Medicine, 341 E. 25th St., New York, NY, 10010, USA

    Julio Gallego-Delgado, Maureen Ty & Ana Rodriguez

  2. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA

    Jamie M. Orengo

  3. The New York Academy of Sciences, 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street, 40th Floor, New York, NY, 10007, USA

    Diana van de Hoef

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  1. Julio Gallego-Delgado
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  2. Maureen Ty
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Correspondence to Ana Rodriguez.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Crystal Arthritis

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Gallego-Delgado, J., Ty, M., Orengo, J.M. et al. A Surprising Role for Uric Acid: The Inflammatory Malaria Response. Curr Rheumatol Rep 16, 401 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-013-0401-8

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