Uricase deficiency causes mild and multiple organ injuries in rats

Uricase-deficient rats could be one of the optimal model animals to study hyperuricemia. The present study aimed to find the biological differences between uricase-deficient (Kunming-DY rats) and wild-type male rats. Uricase-deficient rats and wild-type rats were commonly bred. Their body weight, water and food consumption, 24-h urine and feces, uric acid in serum and organs, and serum indexes were recorded or assayed. Organs, including the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, thymus, stomach, duodenum, and ileum, were examined using a routine hematoxylin-eosin staining assay. We found that the growth of male uricase-deficient rats was retarded. These rats excreted more urine than the wild-type rats. Their organ indexes (organ weight body weight ratio), of the heart, liver, kidney, and thymus significantly increased, while those of the stomach and small intestine significantly decreased. The uricase-deficient rats had a significantly higher level of serum uric acid and excreted more uric acid via urine at a higher concentration. Except for the liver, uric acid increased in organs and intestinal juice of uricase-deficient rats. Histological examination of the uricase-deficient rats showed mild injuries to the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, thymus, stomach, duodenum, and ileum. Our results suggest that uricase-deficient rats have a different biological pattern from the wild-type rats. Uricase deficiency causes growth retardation of young male rats and the subsequent increase in serum uric acid results in mild organs injuries, especially in the kidney and liver.