Purine bases and atheromatous plaque.

In this work we determined hypoxanthine (HX), xanthine (X), uric acid (UA), allantoin (ALL) and free radicals in atheromatous plaques to improve the comprehension of oxidative stress, a phenomenon which characterizes the evolution of atherosclerotic lesions. Carotid artery plaque were obtained from subjects undergoing endoarterectomy. Pulverized plaque, extracted by water, was used for analysis of oxidative stress factors (allantoin, uric acid, xanthine, hypoxanthine, free radicals). The peroxidation UA-->ALL was very high in the plaque, as was the level of free radicals. The results show that oxidative degradation of nucleotides, such as LDL oxidation, plays a specific role not only in the progression of atherosclerotic lesions but also in the advanced plaque.