朱馨媛, 劉梅林
(北京大學(xué)第一醫(yī)院老年內(nèi)科, 北京 100034)
尿酸是人體嘌呤代謝的產(chǎn)物。近年來隨著人類生活方式和膳食結(jié)構(gòu)的改變,高尿酸血癥(hyperuricemia)的患病率呈明顯上升趨勢。雖然多項(xiàng)前瞻性隊(duì)列研究顯示高尿酸可能是冠心病和其他心腦血管疾病發(fā)病和不良預(yù)后的獨(dú)立預(yù)測因素[1,2],但是流行病學(xué)的研究結(jié)果仍有爭議[3];在細(xì)胞和組織水平,尿酸的作用機(jī)制非常復(fù)雜,既有抗氧化活性,又可引起血管內(nèi)皮功能障礙。本文將對(duì)尿酸與冠心病相關(guān)臨床研究進(jìn)行綜述。
尿酸為體內(nèi)嘌呤堿的代謝產(chǎn)物,細(xì)胞代謝分解的核酸和其他嘌呤類化合物以及食物中的嘌呤經(jīng)黃嘌呤氧化酶作用生成尿酸,此過程中伴有活性氧(reactive oxygen species,ROS)的生成。尿酸在人體內(nèi)的排泄途徑主要有兩條:(1)約2/3的尿酸經(jīng)腎臟排泄,經(jīng)腎小管重吸收、分泌,6%~12%的尿酸隨尿液排出體外;(2)約1/3的尿酸經(jīng)胃腸道排泄。絕大多數(shù)哺乳動(dòng)物肝臟內(nèi)含有尿酸氧化酶(簡稱“尿酸酶”)可將尿酸代謝為尿囊素后經(jīng)腎排出體外。人和猿類在進(jìn)化過程中失去了編碼尿酸酶的功能基因,使人類血尿酸水平(208.25~416.5μmol/L)高于其他哺乳動(dòng)物(29.75~89.25μmol/L)。
雖然多項(xiàng)大規(guī)模觀察性研究提示高尿酸血癥可能為冠心病的獨(dú)立危險(xiǎn)因素,但是亦存在不一致的結(jié)果。由于病例對(duì)照研究和橫斷面調(diào)查在病因研究方面有缺陷,本綜述限于尿酸與冠心病流行病學(xué)的前瞻性隊(duì)列和匯總研究。
2005年發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)Meta分析顯示在調(diào)整混淆因素后,高尿酸血癥組冠心病發(fā)病風(fēng)險(xiǎn)僅為1.13(95%CI:1.07~1.20),提示尿酸不能有效預(yù)測人群冠心病的發(fā)生[4]。另外一項(xiàng)2010年發(fā)表的Meta分析顯示高尿酸與冠心病發(fā)病和死亡風(fēng)險(xiǎn)僅呈弱相關(guān),去除潛在混淆因素后,冠心病發(fā)病和死亡相對(duì)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)分別增加9%(RR=1.09;95%CI∶1.03~1.16)和16%(RR=1.16,95%CI∶1.05~1.19);亞組分析顯示男性冠心病的發(fā)生與尿酸無相關(guān)性,女性中RR為1.67(95%CI∶1.30~2.04)[5],提示高尿酸血癥輕度增加冠心病事件的風(fēng)險(xiǎn),對(duì)于性別的差異應(yīng)當(dāng)進(jìn)一步研究。表1和表2為部分前瞻性隊(duì)列研究中尿酸與冠心病發(fā)病和死亡率的結(jié)果,顯示高尿酸血癥與冠心病死亡率相關(guān)性更高,提示尿酸可能是冠心病不良預(yù)后的預(yù)測因子。對(duì)于正常人群和已患有冠心病的人群,尿酸的作用和意義可能不同,其有待進(jìn)一步研究。
目前對(duì)尿酸干預(yù)治療的臨床試驗(yàn)較少。一項(xiàng)隨機(jī)雙盲安慰劑交叉對(duì)照試驗(yàn)顯示別嘌呤醇600mg/d降尿酸治療可以改善心肌缺血,提高慢性心絞痛患者活動(dòng)耐量[11]。Johnson等[12]發(fā)現(xiàn)冠狀動(dòng)脈旁路移植術(shù)后患者接受別嘌呤醇治療心功能改善,死亡率降低。尿酸生成的同時(shí)往往伴有ROS升高,而黃嘌呤氧化酶抑制劑在降低尿酸水平的同時(shí)也可降低ROS水平,其獲益可能僅僅只與降低ROS有關(guān),而非尿酸本身的作用。因此,以別嘌呤醇/羥嘌呤醇為干預(yù)措施的臨床試驗(yàn)尚不足以證明尿酸對(duì)冠心病的致病作用。
表1 尿酸與冠心病發(fā)病率之間的關(guān)系Table 1 Relationship between uric acid and coronary heart disease incidence
機(jī)體血清抗氧化能力的50%來自尿酸[13],提示尿酸可能具有抗氧化、阻止冠心病進(jìn)展的作用。Ames等粗略估計(jì)人類抗壞血酸水平降低的時(shí)間和尿酸酶基因突變的時(shí)間一致,推測尿酸可能替代了抗壞血酸的抗氧化功能[14]。然而,另有研究發(fā)現(xiàn)過多的尿酸可促進(jìn)氧自由基形成[15]和低密度脂蛋白氧化[16]。尿酸促進(jìn)血管內(nèi)皮細(xì)胞、平滑肌細(xì)胞、心臟成纖維細(xì)胞等產(chǎn)生活性氧[15,17,18]。Hayden等[19]認(rèn)為尿酸超過238μmol/L是抗氧化向促氧化功能轉(zhuǎn)化的節(jié)點(diǎn),局部微環(huán)境的改變,特別是銅、鐵等高價(jià)金屬離子的作用,尿酸可由抗氧化劑變?yōu)榇傺趸瘎?。尿酸是一把雙刃劍,抗氧化和促氧化作用一定條件下可以相互轉(zhuǎn)化,可能與周圍環(huán)境有關(guān),如:時(shí)間(疾病的早期或者晚期)、pH值、周圍氧化環(huán)境、氧化劑底物的供給和持續(xù)時(shí)間等。
表2 尿酸與冠心病死亡率之間的關(guān)系Table 2 Relationship between uric acid and coronary heart disease mortality
尿酸可能涉及的作用機(jī)制包括:(1)嘌呤代謝時(shí),黃嘌呤氧化酶將黃嘌呤氧化為尿酸的過程中,隨之產(chǎn)生活性氧,活性氧直接損傷內(nèi)皮細(xì)胞,導(dǎo)致內(nèi)皮細(xì)胞功能障礙,而與其伴生的尿酸無生物活性,僅為氧化應(yīng)激的生化標(biāo)志物;(2)尿酸是一種促氧化劑,造成內(nèi)皮細(xì)胞功能障礙和遠(yuǎn)期的動(dòng)脈粥樣硬化(atherosclerosis,AS),尿酸可能為致病因子[20];(3)尿酸是一種抗氧化劑,可以清除活性氧,對(duì)抗氧化應(yīng)激,具有保護(hù)作用,尿酸增高可能是機(jī)體對(duì)抗氧化物質(zhì)時(shí)的應(yīng)激或者代償反應(yīng);(4)不同濃度的尿酸對(duì)心血管系統(tǒng)產(chǎn)生不同的作用,可能呈現(xiàn)“J”型曲線[7],過高或者過低對(duì)機(jī)體都有損傷;(5)在病態(tài)和正常生理狀態(tài)時(shí),機(jī)體對(duì)尿酸的反應(yīng)以及尿酸對(duì)機(jī)體的作用機(jī)制可能不同;(6)尿酸產(chǎn)生作用與其所處的微環(huán)境有關(guān),尿酸位于細(xì)胞內(nèi)液中時(shí)損傷最明顯。涉及更深層的分子機(jī)制可能包括內(nèi)皮細(xì)胞凋亡、增殖、衰老、氧化應(yīng)激、NO合酶-NO系統(tǒng)、炎性反應(yīng)等。
高尿酸血癥的發(fā)病率持續(xù)升高,高尿酸還可伴隨高甘油三酯血癥、低高密度脂蛋白膽固醇血癥、高血壓和胰島素抵抗等,因此,尿酸究竟是AS的獨(dú)立危險(xiǎn)因素,還是僅僅是其他心血管危險(xiǎn)因素的一個(gè)間接標(biāo)志物,目前仍然不十分明確。有學(xué)者認(rèn)為高尿酸血癥和AS及冠心病密切相關(guān),控制高尿酸血癥有可能開辟一種心血管疾病防治的新途徑。
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