OBJECTIVE:
To determine the effect of a botanical formulation of
Herniaria glabra,
Agropyron repens,
Equisetum arvense, and
Sambucus nigra as a preventive agent in an experimentally induced nefrolithiasis model in
rats.
METHODS:
Six groups of six Wistar
male rats each were induced for nefrolithiasis by
treatment with 0.75%
ethylene glycol (EG) and 1%
ammonium chloride for three days and then EG only for 15 days. One group was treated with placebo (
control group) and the other groups (treated groups) were treated with 30 mg/Kg, 60 mg/Kg, 125 mg/Kg, 250 mg/Kg and 500 mg/Kg of the
plant extract formulation (PEF). 24-h
urine and
water samples were collected one day before EG
administration and at 7, 13 and 18 days to determine
diuresis,
crystalluria and
urine biochemistry. The
kidneys were removed for histological
analysis. The
phytochemical characterization of PEF and each of its component
plant extracts was performed using
gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and
liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
RESULTS:
Animals treated with 125 mg/Kg of the PEF had statistically significantly lower
calcium oxalate crystals deposits content compared to the
control group. All PEF doses statistically significantly decreased the number of
microcalcifications compared to the
control group. Furthermore, the number of
kidneys affected by subcapsular
fibrosis was statistically significantly higher in
control group than in treated groups with the PEF. The
diuresis of the 125 mg/Kg and 500 mg/Kg PEF-treated groups was statistically significantly higher than that of the
control group. A
phytochemical analysis demonstrated the presence of
flavonoids,
dicarboxylic acids and
saponins.
CONCLUSIONS:
Treatment with PEF prevents deposits of
calcium oxalate crystals formation and of
microcalcifications in the
kidney, and reduces the
risk of
fibrosis subcapsular. 125 mg/Kg of PEF is the
dose that has a greater effect on the studied
parameters