Uric acid has historically been viewed as an inert waste product of purine metabolism, just like urea for proteins, able to crystallize at high concentrations, thus causing gouty arthritis and renal stones. In recent years, however, growing scientific evidence demonstrated that uric acid is not biologically inert but may also exert a wide array of effects including pro- and anti-oxidant actions, stimulation of inflammation and activation of the innate immune response [1,2]. In this regard, the relative high levels of uric acid in humans has raised questions about its evolutionary advantages during hominid evolution [2,3].
