Editorial: Regulation and Mechanism of Plant Metabolites on Hyperuricemia

Yin Wan^1*Jin Qian¹Tao Xiong¹Jun Lu²

• ¹Nanchang University National Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resource Mining, Nanchang, China
• ²Auckland Bioengineering Institute, Faculty of Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Hyperuricemia (HUA) has rapidly evolved from a "rich man's disease" to a global public health crisis. According to the latest data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 published in 2024, the global prevalence of gout has increased by 63.44% over the past three decades, with high body mass index (BMI) identified as the primary driver (1). Beyond its role in gout, accumulating evidence highlights that elevated soluble uric acid is now recognized as a potent "danger signal" (DAMP) that triggers systemic inflammation and metabolic maladaptation (2). Despite this growing burden, clinical management remains stagnant. First-line xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitors like allopurinol and febuxostat are plagued by severe cutaneous adverse reactions, cardiovascular risks, and renal injury (3). This creates a critical gap: How do we achieve safe, long-term urate management without compromising organ function? This Research Topic, Regulation and Mechanism of Plant Metabolites on Hyperuricemia, addresses this gap by shifting the paradigm from "single-target inhibition" to "systemic network regulation." The seven articles collected here do not merely screen for natural products; they elucidate how plant metabolites remodel the "Gut-Kidney-Immune" axis, offering a mechanistic bridge between traditional botanical wisdom and modern precision medicine. The journey of intervention begins with identifying dietary determinants. In a large-scale analysis of NHANES 2001-2006 data, Chen P. et al. revealed a significant inverse association between serum carotenoids (specifically lycopene and α-carotene) and HUA risk (Chen P. et al.). This finding aligns with the "Food is Medicine" concept emphasized by Mozaffarian et al., suggesting that specific phytochemicals can serve as prophylactic agents at the population level (4).Moving from epidemiology to drug discovery, Chen M. et al. employed highthroughput virtual screening to identify XOD inhibitors from Zanthoxyli Pericarpium (Chen M. et al.). It is worth noting that Mullowney et al. recently highlighted that integrating computational strategies with experimental validation is revolutionizing the discovery of bioactive natural products (5). Echoing this trend, Chen M. et al.'s molecular dynamics simulations provide atomic-level insights into how natural compounds like ZP-30 bind to key metabolic enzymes, placing their work at the forefront of structure-based drug design (SBDD).Collectively, these studies bridge the gap between macroscopic epidemiological patterns and microscopic molecular mechanisms, exemplifying a comprehensive approach to validating the therapeutic potential of natural products. The most transformative advance in HUA research in the last three years is the elucidation of the "Gut-Kidney Axis." Kasahara et al. demonstrated that gut microbiota-derived metabolites can directly influence renal urate excretion (6). In this Research Topic, Rao et al. advance this frontier by identifying specific L. reuteri and L. brevis strains that not only degrade nucleosides but also repair the intestinal barrier (Rao et al.). Their work confirms that probiotics can serve as "living drugs" to intercept purine absorption, a strategy that complements renal-targeted therapies.Simultaneously, the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in urate-induced kidney injury has become a consensus in the field, as systematically reviewed by Luo et al. (7). Contributing to this field, Wang S. et al. demonstrated that Aloe-emodin suppresses the NLRP3/caspase-1 pathway, effectively decoupling high uric acid levels from renal fibrosis (Wang S. et al.). Similarly, Zhao et al. found that Puerariae lobatae Radix regulates the "reabsorption-secretion" transporter network (URAT1/OAT1) (Zhao et al.). These findings are particularly significant when viewed alongside the findings by Fan et al. on URAT1 inhibition mechanisms, illustrating that plant extracts can exert effects comparable to synthetic inhibitors but with pleiotropic benefits (8). Thus, by targeting both the upstream intestinal barrier and downstream renal inflammation, these studies collectively propel the understanding of the gut-kidney axis, offering a holistic immunometabolic framework for future therapies. Collectively, these seven articles demonstrate that plant metabolites are not merely dietary adjuncts, but sophisticated modulators of the Gut-Kidney-Immune network. By targeting the latest molecular checkpoints-from the NLRP3 inflammasome to the gut microbiome-this collection paves the way for a new generation of HUA therapies that are effective, holistic, and safe.