From the Research
Role of Glucuronic Acid
- Glucuronic acid is a detoxifying agent in humans and is excreted in urine as a conjugated type 1
- It plays a major role in the detoxification of many exogenous and endogenous compounds by generating products that are more polar and, thus, more readily excreted in bile or urine 2
- Glucuronic acid is involved in the detoxification of xenobiotic compounds and the structure/remodeling of the extracellular matrix 3
- The enzyme D-glucuronolactone dehydrogenase is responsible for the oxidation of the lactone of D-glucuronic acid to D-glucaro-l,4;6,3-dilactone, which hydrolyzes spontaneously in aqueous solution to D-glucaro-l,4-lactone, a potent beta-glucuronidase inhibitor 4
Biological Functions
- Glucuronic acid is a metabolite of glucose that is involved in various biological processes, including detoxification and extracellular matrix structure/remodeling 3
- D-glucaric acid, a derivative of glucuronic acid, has been shown to increase detoxification of carcinogens and tumor promoters by inhibiting beta-glucuronidase and preventing the hydrolysis of their glucuronides 4
- Uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGT) are a family of enzymes that catalyse the covalent addition of glucuronic acid to a wide range of lipophilic chemicals, playing a key role in terminating the biological actions and enhancing the renal elimination of non-polar drugs 5
Biomarker of Healthspan and Longevity
- Circulating glucuronic acid has been identified as a robust biomarker of mortality that is conserved across species, predicting all-cause mortality in humans and mice 3
- Glucuronic acid levels increase with age and predict future healthspan-related outcomes, demonstrating its potential as a biomarker of longevity and healthspan 3