A surprising role for uric acid: the inflammatory malaria response.

Malaria, which is caused by Plasmodium parasite erythrocyte infection, is a highly inflammatory disease with characteristic periodic fevers caused by the synchronous rupture of infected erythrocytes to release daughter parasites. Despite the importance of inflammation in the pathology and mortality induced by malaria, the parasite-derived factors inducing the inflammatory response are still not well characterized. Uric acid is emerging as a central inflammatory molecule in malaria. Not only is uric acid found in the precipitated form in infected erythrocytes, but high concentrations of hypoxanthine, a precursor for uric acid, also accumulate in infected erythrocytes. Both are released upon infected erythrocyte rupture into the circulation where hypoxanthine would be converted into uric acid and precipitated uric acid would encounter immune cells. Uric acid is an important contributor to inflammatory cytokine secretion, dendritic cell and T cell responses induced by Plasmodium, suggesting uric acid as a novel molecular target for anti-inflammatory therapies in malaria.