According to a study, individuals with Parkinson’s disease who have higher levels of urate in their blood and in cerebrospinal fluid have a slower rate of disease progression. A clinical trial is under way to examine the safety and potential benefits of supplemental urate elevation for recently diagnosed Parkinson’s disease patients who have low urate levels.
Image: Representation of uric acid molecule.
Parkinson’s disease is characterized by involuntary shaking, rigidity, slow movement, stiffened muscle tone, impaired balance and difficulty walking. Parkinson’s disease is caused by destruction of brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Urate, or uric acid, is a product of the body’s metabolism. Diets high in liver, seafood, and dried beans and peas tend to cause higher levels of urate in the blood, which is associated with gout, a painful buildup of urate crystals in the joints. Urate is a natural antioxidant, and many studies have found that antioxidants slow the course of Parkinson’s disease in animal models. Research has also shown that people who have gout or who consume foods associated with high urate have a lower incidence of Parkinson’s disease.
The researchers emphasize there is still no proof that elevating urate levels will help against Parkinson’s disease, and that it should not be attempted outside of a clinical trial, where physicians can closely monitor possible benefits and risks, such as gout and heart disease.
The Safety of URate Elevation in Parkinson Disease (SURE-PD) study is a placebo-controlled phase 2 trial designed to test this hypothesis. Patients in the treatment arm of the trial will take daily, oral doses of a urate precursor called inosine for up to two years. The trial is recruiting recently diagnosed patients who do not yet require Parkinson’s disease medication at 11 sites across the United States. For more information, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov and search by the identifier NCT00833690.
References:
1. Alberto Ascherio, et al. Urate as a Predictor of the Rate of Clinical Decline in Parkinson Disease. Arch Neurol, Oct 2009; doi:10.1001/archneurol.2009.247.
2. Clinicaltrials.gov
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