INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL LABORATORY

REACTION PAPER ON URIC ACID AND AMMONIA

Date: January 10, 2014

Members: Bungabong, Domil Vincent M. Saeed, Asmah G. Abdulnaim, Norolhayr B. Momongn, Brena Rose D. Alawi, Norjannah Verdeflor, Sophia Patrice Batulan, Krizza Marie Isla, Quennie Deanne Donusco, Franz Bryna O. Pescador, Shena Mae O.

The word Uric Acid and Ammonia will surely rings a bell on us, somehow, we couldnt even help ourselves to be confused on asking the differences of the two as well as on how they are related with Urea and Amino Acid, the only thing we could be certain of as of now is that they all have a vital role in Human Metabolism. Mental and intellectual ejaculation could somehow push as into a certain cognitive illumination regarding such confusion, that after a meal that contains protein, amino acids released by digestion pass from the gut through the hepatic portal vein to the liver. In a normal diet containing 60 to 100 g protein, most of the amino acids are used for the synthesis of proteins in the liver and in other tissues. Excess amino acids may be converted to glucose or triacylglycerol. During fasting, muscle protein is cleaved to amino acids. Some of the amino acids are partially oxidized to produce energy. Portions of these amino acids are converted to alanine and glutamine, which along with other amino acids, are released into the blood. Glutamine is oxidized by various tissues, including lymphocytes, gut, and kidney, which convert some of the carbons and nitrogen to alanine. Alanine and other amino acids travel to the liver, where the carbons are converted to glucose and ketone bodies, and the nitrogen is converted to urea, which is excreted by the kidneys. Glucose, produced by gluconeogenesis , is subsequently oxidized to CO2 and H2O by many tissues, and ketone bodies are oxidized by tissues such as muscle and kidney. Yet concentration imbalance of Uric Acid and Ammonia may lead into some sort of metabolic disorders/diseases. For uric acid, excess concentration in plasma may lead to gout, increased catabolism of nucleic acids and renal disease (renal and increased catabolism of nucleic acids is side effects of chemotherapy). Males do have higher plasma levels of uric acid than female, though it is completely filterable yet with advance chronic renal failure, its level progressively increases. While increased ammonia concentrations is considered to be neurotoxic such as hyperammonemia which is associated with liver dysfunction or renal failure. As they say that Preventions is better than cure, ways on preventing us to arrived at a particular unwanted health conditions has been created/established and practiced, most especially on overviewing them quantitatively (measuring). Uric acid in particular can be measured in heparinized plasma, serum, and even urine. When serum is used as a specimen then it should be removed from the cells as quickly as possible to prevent dilution by intracellular contents, and serum samples may be stored, refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. Methods of analysis for uric acid includes enzymatic methods (uricase), chemical methods [phosphotungstic acid (PTA), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)]. PTA method is based on the development of a blue reaction as PTA is reduced by urate in alkaline medium. The color is read at 650 to 700 nm. HPLC on the other hand uses ion-exchange or reversed-phase column to separate and quantify uric acid. While Uricase is a reaction being measured in either the kinetic or equilibrium mode. On such, Urate is being converted and its decrease of absorbance is measured at wavelength varying from 282 to 292 nm. Enzymatic assays for this particular method involved a peroxidase system coupled with one of several oxygen acceptors to produce chromogen.

Ammonia on the other hand is being used to monitor the progress of disease severity which must be done very carefully. Collecting samples and preparations has a side effect since blood ammonia concentration rises rapidly because of in vitro amino acid breakdown. Samples must be centrifuged at 0oC to 4o C within 20 minutes of collection and the plasma or serum removed. Specimen should be

assayed as soon as possible. ISEs is one of the methods used for Ammonia, which measure the change in pH of a solution of ammonia chloride as ammonia diffuses across a semi-permeable membrane and an enzymatic assay using glutamate dehydrogenase.