The effect of female hormones upon urate transport systems in the mouse kidney.

Increased levels of serum urate in postmenopausal women are thought to be caused by a change in renal urate elimination associated with the loss of female hormones. In this study, we investigated the regulation of renal urate transporter expression by female hormones using ovariectomized mice with or without hormone replacement. Estradiol suppressed the protein levels of urate reabsorptive transporters urate transporter 1 and glucose transporter 9 (Urat1 and Glut9), and that of urate efflux transporter ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (Abcg2). Progesterone suppressed protein levels of sodium-coupled monocarboxylate transporter 1 (Smct1). However, neither estradiol nor progesterone influenced the respective levels of mRNA.