Suppression of glycine-15N incorporation into urinary uric acid by adenine-8-13C in normal and gouty subjects.

Adenine inhibited the de novo synthesis of purines in both normal and gouty man as shown by inhibition of the incorporation of glycine-(15)N into urinary uric acid without altering the incorporation of glycine-(15)N into urinary creatinine. The diminished purine synthesis did not result in a diminution in the 24 hr excretion of uric acid. This observation was explainable in part by the prompt conversion of adenine to uric acid. In addition to this direct conversion, adenine-8-(13)C provided a slow and prolonged contribution to urinary uric acid.A feedback inhibition of purine synthesis by nucleotides derived from adenine provides the best interpretation of these results.