Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The construction of hyperuricemia animal models is an important tool to study the relationship between hyperuricemia, renal disease and cardiovascular disease.
OBJECTIVE: To establish hyperuricemia rat model using yeast extract combined with different doses of oteracil potassium and to explore the optimal dose for model establishment.
METHODS: Rats were continuously treated with yeast extract or yeast extract combined with various doses of oteracil potassium by intragastric feeding or intraperitoneal injection for 28 days to establish rat hyperuricemia model.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the control group, there was significant increase in serum levels of uric acid in the groups of intragastric feeding with yeast extract alone, yeast extract combined with 50-200 mg/kg oteracil potassium or intraperitoneal injection with yeast extract combined with 50-100 mg/kg oteracil potassium; however, no remarkable effect on rat kidney, heart or artery was found. A continuously high level of serum uric acid and morphological and pathological changes in rat kidney, heart and arteries were detected when the dosage of oteracil potassium intraperitoneally injected combined with yeast extract was maximized to 200 mg/kg. These findings indicate that intraperitoneal injection of yeast extract combined with      200 mg/kg oteracil potassium is an optimal dosage for the construction of a persistent and stable hyperuricemia animal model; it is a favorable model for the study of pathological damages related to secondary cardiovascular diseases caused by hyperuricemia.