Xanthine

Xanthine participates in the catabolism of nucleic acids and nucleotides and is a precursor of uric acid. It is a versatile compound that shows therapeutic effects in several pharmacological conditions related to respiratory tract, central nervous system (CNS), kidney, stomach, smooth muscle cells, and heart. Xanthine acts as a biomarker for detecting gout.

Xanthine is an important component of the various natural and synthetic medicinal active compounds. Various forms of xanthine such as caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline are found in chocolate, cocoa, tea, yeast, potatoes, animal organs, and coffee. Xanthine is a purine-based natural heterocyclic alkaloid composed of a central nitrogen atom and a pyrimidine ring that is fused with an imidazole ring. Xanthine is produced from several different precursors in the purine metabolic pathway: deamination of guanine-by-guanine deaminase and conversion of hypoxanthine by xanthine oxidoreductase.