Aronia melanocarpa ameliorates gout and hyperuricemia in animal models

Aronia melanocarpa fruit (AM) strongly suppressed ankle swelling in rats with acute gout and reduced the levels of uric acid and xanthine oxidase (XO) in mice with hyperuricemia. AM reduced the inflammatory cell count and increased the ankle joint space, and suppressed the levels of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha in the serum of the rats with acute gout. In the mice with hyperuricemia, AM significantly reduced the serum levels of uric acid, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine. 8-day administration of AM resulted in enhancements in the levels of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase and a reduction in the level of malondialdehyde in the serum of mice. All data suggested that the potential therapeutic effects of AM on gout are probably due to the regulation of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and the suppression of XO activity via modulation of the oxidative stress status.