Uric acid

Urate; an end product of purine degradation in humans, which is excreted in the urine. Purine degradation proceeds further in other mammals so that urate is oxidized and allantoin, is excreted. IN land animals such as reptiles and birds, urate is excreted as the finla product of nitrogen metabolism, instead of urea, in order to conserve water. By eliminating nitrogen in this way there is a minimum of water loss and the urate is excreted either as a thick paste or as dry pellets. Formula: C5H4N4O3.

Related Terms

Xanthines