To explore the effect of the granules made by new-medicinal parts of Crocus sativus(NMPCS) on hyperuricemia(HUA) in rats, the rat model of HUA was established by intramuscular injection of 3% potassium oxonate and intraperitoneal injection of 4% pyrazinamide. The content of serum uric acid was monitored every week for 3 consecutive weeks. After the experiment, the levels of serum uric acid, urine uric acid, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen(BUN), and xanthine oxidase(XOD) were determined. The protein and gene expressions of XOD were determined by Western blot method and fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR), and the morphological changes in the liver tissue were performed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The results showed that as compared with the model group, the levels of serum uric acid in the positive drug group and the low, medium, and high-dose NMPCS groups were lower(P<0.05), the levels of urine uric acid in the high-dose NMPCS group were decreased(P<0.01), and there was no statistical difference in the medium and low-dose NMPCS groups. The levels of BUN in the high and low-dose NMPCS groups were decreased(P<0.05), and the levels of serum creatinine did not change in the administration groups. The positive drug group and the low, medium, and high-dose NMPCS groups significantly reduced the liver damage, with only a few hepatocytes vacuolization and a small number of red blood cells in the central venous area. The nephridial tissue structure was slightly abnormal, with a small number of red blood cell infiltration, and no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration was found in the glomerulus in these groups. No degeneration was found in renal tubular epithelial cells, with mild glomerular and tubular lesions and a small amount of sodium urate deposition and crystallization in the positive drug group and the low, medium, and high-dose NMPCS groups. The relative protein expressions of XOD in the positive drug group and the high dose NMPCS group were decreased(P<0.05), and the relative mRNA expressions of XOD in the positive drug group and the high and low-dose NMPCS groups were decreased as well(P<0.05). The above results show that NMPCS reduces uric acid in rats with HUA by regulating XOD, which provides a certain experimental basis for the development of NMPCS as a new medicine for the treatment of HUA.
Keywords: Crocus sativus; hyperuricemia; mechanism; new-medicinal parts.