Effects of uric acid transfer into the brain via choroid plexus in dementia

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K15896
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: General internal medicine(including psychosomatic medicine)
• Research Institution: Kagawa University
• Principal Investigator: Uemura Naoya 香川大学, 医学部, 協力研究員 (20795124)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 尿酸 / 認知症 / 脈絡叢 / 抗酸化作用 / 神経保護作用

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the laboratory of the applicant, immunostaining was performed in experimental animals and human autopsy brains, and it was newly found that URAT1 and GLUT9, which are urate transporters, may be present in the choroid plexus (Neurosci Lett 2017; 659: 99-103). Therefore, it is considered that uric acid can pass through the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) and move into the ventricles. Therefore, if its blood concentration increases, it is presumed that it affects the tissues around the ventricles including the hippocampus. From the above findings, if the blood concentration of uric acid is excessively high, such as gout or hyperuricemia, it is transferred to the ventricles via choroid plexus epithelial cells and directly affects the tissues around the ventricles by the antioxidant effect. I think that giving it may have a neuroprotective effect.

Free Research Field

老年医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

尿酸の輸送体であるURAT1,GLUT9が脈絡叢に存在する可能性があることを新規に見出してきた (Neurosci Lett 2017; 659: 99-103)。尿酸の脳内での輸送体を明らかにし、神経細胞への影響を解明することを目的に研究を行っている。尿酸の認知機能への影響を明らかにすることで患者の予後を改善し、認知症、せん妄や他の難治性神経疾患の新たな予防法・治療法につながる可能性がある。