Endogenous adenine as a key player in diabetic kidney disease progression: an integrated multiomics approach

Adenine is 1 of the 2 nitrogenous bases that form purine nucleotides in nucleic acids. Under physiological conditions, exogenous adenine is absorbed through the intestines, metabolized into several adenine derivatives, and excreted as uric acid by the kidneys. High doses of exogenous adenine can be metabolized into 2,8-dihydroxyadenine, which is deposited as crystals in the kidney tubules or interstitium, causing tubulointerstitial fibrosis, inflammation, and tubular atrophy.1 This approach is used to generate the adenine-induced chronic kidney disease (CKD) animal model, which has been widely used as a stable CKD model.