ArticlePloS one2017
Uric acid, an important antioxidant contributing to survival in termites.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- Uric Acid Provides Protective Role in Red Blood Cells by Antioxidant Defense: A Hypothetical Analysis.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2019Trial
- Article
- Prevalence of hyperuricemia among patients with non-communicable diseases in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Cardiovascular diabetology. Endocrinology reports · 2026Review
- Transcriptomic Evidence Reveals the IIS-FOXO-SOD2 Axis as a Core Anti-Aging Pathway in Long-Lived Queens ofInsects · 2026Article
- Volvariella volvacea polysaccharides alleviate acute liver injury by modulating Nrf2/NF-κB pathway in a dual manner.NPJ science of food · 2025Article
- RNA-DNA Differences: Mechanisms, Oxidative Stress, Transcriptional Fidelity, and Health Implications.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Antioxidants, oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species in insects exposed to heat.Current research in insect science · 2025Review
- Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis of Vaginal Secretion Reveals Potential Pathogenesis of Atrophic Vaginitis.Current pharmaceutical design · 2025Article
- Association between serum uric acid levels and cardio-ankle vascular index stratified by circulating level of CD34-positive cells among elderly Japanese men: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Hyperuricemia and its related diseases: mechanisms and advances in therapy.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2024Review
- Cell type specific polyploidization in the royal fat body of termite queens.Zoological letters · 2023Article
- The Evolution and Ecology of Oxidative and Antioxidant Status: A Comparative Approach in African Mole-Rats.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Interactive effect of serum uric acid and handgrip strength on all-cause mortality among Japanese community-dwelling people.Metabolism open · 2023Article
- King- and queen-specific degradation of uric acid contributes to reproduction in termites.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2023Article
- Change of termite hindgut metabolome and bacteria after captivity indicates the hindgut microbiota provides nutritional factors to the host.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2023Article
- Mutation ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Enzymes and cellular interplay required for flux of fixed nitrogen to ureides in bean nodules.Nature communications · 2022Article
- Advances in Delivering Oxidative Modulators for Disease Therapy.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2022Review
- Molecular underpinnings of division of labour among workers in a socially complex termite.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated spontaneously in all organisms and cause oxidative damage to biomolecules when present in excess. Accumulated oxidative damage accelerates aging; enhanced antioxidant capacity may be a positive factor for longevity. Recently, numerous studies of aging and longevity have been performed using short-lived animals, however, longevity mechanisms remain unknown. Here we show that a termite Reticulitermes speratus that is thought to be long-lived eusocial insect than other solitary insects uses large quantities of uric acid as an antioxidant against ROS. We demonstrated that the accumulation of uric acid considerably increases the free radical-scavenging activity and resistance against ultraviolet-induced oxidative stress in laboratory-maintained termites. In addition, we found that externally administered uric acid aided termite survival under highly oxidative conditions. The present data demonstrates that in addition to nutritional and metabolic roles, uric acid is an essential antioxidant for survival and contributes significantly to longevity. Uric acid also plays important roles in primates but causes gout when present in excess in humans. Further longevity studies of long-lived organisms may provide important breakthroughs with human health applications.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.