Does uric acid scavenge peroxynitrite?
A. Technically, uric acid is not a scavenger of peroxynitrite. It competes for tyrosine nitration, which sounds like a subtle difference, but is biologically very important. Uric acid as an experimental tool is useful to study tyrosine nitration and to distinguish that from other actions of peroxynitrite. Uric acid seems to afford some protection in a wide range of different diseases, but the levels that you need for protection are about three- to four-fold higher than what are normally present in your plasma. In multiple sclerosis, immune cells cross the blood brain barrier, and uric acid is very effective in preventing that. But ALS involves the motor neurons and probably wouldn’t be affected. Q. What about clinical trials with micronutrients? A. We’re quite excited that these can be tested in patients. When we’ve tried to develop drugs, there’s an eight- to ten-year process trying to get a drug company interested. Because of potential side effects and toxicity with drugs, the protoc
