In vitro Study of Litholytic Activity of Ononis natrix L. Extracts Against Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stones

Ononis natrix is one of the wild plants from the Fabaceae family. The infusion of the plant is traditionally used for the therapy of urinary tract disorders. Urolithiasis is a deposit of stone components (oxalate, calcium, uric acid, magnesium, cysteine) in the kidneys. The formulation of stones occurs in consecutive stages. Nephrolithiasis is consecration as one of the most common Kidney diseases. Numerous phytomolecules have several functions in the management of urolithiasis. The aim was to investigate the possible litholytic effect of O. natrix extracts against calcium oxalate urinary stones. Stones were collected from urolithiasis patients after surgical procedures. The type of the stones was determined by FTIR spectroscopy, selected of calcium oxalate type, and the experiment was performed by incubating three concentrations (0.5, 1, 2) g/L of aerial parts and root extracts (ethanolic 70% and aqueous) in-vitro with physiological saline (NaCl 9 g/L) for 6 weeks. The results were presented as dissolution rate % compared to positive control (sodium citrate 3 mmol/L) and negative control (physiological saline 9 g/L). The ethanolic 70% extract of the aerial parts in the concentration of 2 g/L showed the highest litholytic activity (47.73% ± 0.66%) at the end of the experiment (week 6) followed by the concentration of 1 g/L (34.81 %± 1.25%) with statistically significant difference (P <0.0001) in comparison with sodium citrate (4.18% ± 2.13%) and physiological saline (1.37% ± 0.22%). The results exhibit that the litholytic activity of O. natrix extracts was higher in the aerial parts than the roots, it was also higher in the ethanolic extracts than the aqueous extracts, which is related to their flavonoid content.