Urine can possibly check high blood pressure

NI Wire

New Delhi

Sat, 10 Nov 2007: 

Nov 10: Urine is the nitrogenous waste from body and is a primary method to excrete toxins from the body part.

From the time immemorial Urine is known for its medicinal properties from antiseptic to other holistic treatment but recently atudy has identified a hormone from urine called Xanthurenic-acid derivative which may help to flush sodium out of the body and could help to develop an effective and safe treatment for high blood pressure.

The study conducted by the Cornell and the Boyce Thompson Institute, Frank Schroeder, an assistant Scientist at BTI, developed a new technique for analysing complex mixtures of small molecules, making it possible to finally identify the hormone.

In a study based on rat, Schroeder developed an approach based on nuclear magnetic spectroscopy of partially purified urine.

Through the NMR spectroscopy one can determine the structures and analyse unknown chemicals.

In the study, through the above technique showed three completely different compounds each of which was later synthesised and injected into rats.

The rat's urine was then kept under observation, which revealed that sodium level in the rat’s were raised but potassium levels remain constant by the two identified compounds which were derivatives of a common metabolite Xanthuric acid.

Earlier, a steroid called aldosterone is known to trigger reabsorption of sodium and excretion of potassium.

Schroeder was in opinion that the newly discovered molecule was structurally more similar to dopamine and serotonin; the amino acid derived neurotransmitters and therefore might also play other roles in the body.

"Now, we want to know what other functions these compounds have and whether they directly influence blood pressure," Schroeder said.

The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in its current issue of November.