Synergistic anti-hyperuricemic effect of combined medication of Alpinia oxyphylla and Allopurinol

Alpinia oxyphylla Miquel, belonging to the Zingiberaceae family, is a well-known traditional medicine used to treat urosis, diuresis, and chronic glomerulonephritis in China and Korea. Allopurinol is a commonly used medication to treat hyperuricemia, however, the drug exhibits many adverse effects. Thus, it is desirable to combine a compound with allopurinol to reduce the high doses of the drug for more safety treatment. In this study, we investigated the possible synergistic effects of Alpinia oxyphylla fruit extract (AE) and allopurinol in decreasing serum uric acid level in rats with potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemia. We examined the effects of allopurinol combination with Alpinia oxyphylla on the serum uric acid, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels in hyperuricemic rat model. The effects of allopurinol plus AE on the xanthine oxidase (XOD) activities were measured. The combination of allopurinol and AE significantly decreased the serum uric acid level, leading to the normalized serum uric acid concentrations. Furthermore, the combination of allopurinol and AE decreased the serum creatinine and BUN levels. The attenuation of hyperuricemia-induced renal dysfunction was related to the inhibition of both serum and hepatic XOD activity. The anti-hyperuricemia effects of allopurinol are improved by combination administration of Alpinia oxyphylla. As an edible fruit, Alpinia oxyphylla has a good safety record in humans. Our results suggest that the combined use of allopurinol and AE may have a clinically potential value in the treatment of hyperuricemia.

• References

• 1 Benn CL, Dua P, Gurrell R, Loudon P, Pike A. et al. Physiology of Hyperuricemia and Urate-Lowering Treatments. Front Med 2018; 5: 160
• 2 Zhang Q, Zheng Y, Hu X, Hu X, Lv W. et al. Ethnopharmacological uses, phytochemistry, biological activities, and therapeutic applications of Alpinia oxyphylla Miquel: A review. J Ethnopharmacol 2018; 224: 149-168