Elevation of plasma glutamate in gout. Its possible role in the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia.

Abstract

Fasting plasma glutamate concentration in 36 patients with gout was 65 ± 4 mμmoles per milliliter (± SE), and in 26 normal subjects it was 40 ± 3 (p less than 0.001). In 16 of the 36 patients fasting plasma glutamate was more than two standard deviations above the normal mean. After the ingestion of casein (0.5 gm per kilogram of body weight) plasma glutamate reached excessively high levels in the group with gout. Plasma glutamine and α-amino nitrogen were normal, both in the fasting state and after casein ingestion. The increase in glutamate may be causally related to the overproduction of purines in gout.