Dieting alleviates hyperuricemia and organ injuries in uricase-deficient rats via down-regulating cell cycle pathway

Dieting is a basic treatment for lowering hyperuricemia. Here, we aimed to determine the optimal amount of dietary food that lowers serum uric acid (SUA) without modifying the dietary ingredients in rats. Increased SUA was found in food-deprived 45-day-old uricase-deficient rats (Kunming-DY rats), and the optimal amount of dietary food (75% dietary intake) to lower SUA was established by controlling the amount of food given daily from 25% to 100% for 2 weeks. In addition to lowering SUA by approximately 22.5 ± 20.5%, the optimal amount of dietary food given for 2 weeks inhibited urine uric acid excretion, lowered the uric acid content in multiple organs, improved renal function, lowered serum triglyceride, alleviated organ injuries (e.g., liver, kidney and intestinal tract) at the histological level, and down-regulated the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) pathway of the cell cycle (ko04110). Taken together, these results demonstrate that 75% dietary food effectively lowers the SUA level without modifying dietary ingredients and alleviates the injuries resulting from uricase deficiency or hyperuricemia, the mechanism of which is associated with the down-regulation of the cell cycle pathway.