You are in Medical Library . A first, general read on gout. Purines, nitrogen-containing compounds, are the chemical sources of uric acid and can be divided into two types, endogenous and exogenous. Endogenous purines are synthesized within the nuclei of cells in the human body itself, whereas the exogenous purines are obtained from foods.
Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism and is mostly produced in the liver.
From there it enters the bloodstream. Crystallization is governed by other factors as well. In time, MSU crystals can provoke an inflammatory response that produces the symptoms characteristic of gout. In respect to gout, humans are less fortunate than many animals, which never suffer from gout because they possess uricase, an enzyme that converts uric acid to allantoin, a substance much more easily excreted by the kidneys. All rights reserved.