Guanine Unit Converter

Guanine is one of the four nucleobases that make up DNA and RNA. It is a purine, one of the two types of double-ringed bases (the other being adenine) essential for storing and transmitting genetic information in every cell.

When measured in blood plasma, guanine reflects purine metabolism and nucleotide turnover. Healthy individuals normally have very low circulating levels because guanine is rapidly converted to xanthine by the enzyme guanine deaminase (guanase), then to uric acid for excretion.

Elevated plasma guanine suggests that this degradation pathway is overwhelmed or impaired, which may occur with increased cell turnover, enzyme deficiencies, or metabolic disorders affecting purine processing.

Guanine is released by all nucleated cells during normal DNA and RNA turnover. It enters the blood from cellular breakdown and is then processed primarily by guanine deaminase, an enzyme concentrated in the liver, with smaller amounts in the kidneys and brain.