Age-related increase in xanthine oxidase activity in human plasma and rat tissues.

This study assessed the role of xanthine oxidase in vascular ageing. A positive correlation between xanthine oxidase activity and age was found in human plasma. Similar results were found in rat plasma. Xanthine oxidase expression and activity in homogenates from the aortic wall were significantly higher in samples from old rats than in their young counterparts (p < 0.01). In rat skeletal muscle homogenates both xanthine oxidase expression and activity showed a similar age-related profile. Superoxide production by xanthine oxidase in aortic rings was higher in aged rats. Uric acid, the final product of xanthine oxidase has been proposed as a risk factor for coronary heart disease and an independent marker of worse prognosis in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic heart failure. These results give a possible explanation for this correlation and underscore the role of xanthine oxidase in ageing.