PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF THE ANTI-UROLITHIASIS ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF CROSSANDRA INFUNDIBULIFORMIS FLOWERS

Urolithiasis is a common urinary tract disorder characterized by the formation and aggregation of crystalline stones, with calcium oxalate being the predominant type of urinary stone. The present study aimed to evaluate the in-vitro anti-urolithiasis activity of the ethanolic flower extract of Crossandra infundibuliformis and to investigate its phytochemical constituents. The flowers of Crossandra infundibuliformis were collected, authenticated, shade-dried and powdered, followed by Soxhlet extraction using ethanol. The percentage yield of the obtained ethanolic flower extract was found to be 28.6%. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins, phenols, reducing sugars, cholesterol, terpenoids, carotenoids and resins, while alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, carbohydrates, proteins, glycosides, saponins and phytosterols were not detected. The in-vitro anti-urolithiatic activity was evaluated by assessing the inhibition of calcium oxalate crystal aggregation at different concentrations of the extract (10, 50, 100, 250 and 500 µg/mL) and compared with Cystone as the standard drug. The ethanolic flower extract exhibited concentration-dependent inhibition of calcium oxalate crystal aggregation, with mean percentage inhibition of 30.554%, 43.267%, 49.781%, 55.591% and 61.740% at 10, 50, 100, 250 and 500 µg/mL, respectively. Cystone showed a mean inhibition of 81.259%. The observed anti-urolithiatic activity may be associated with the phytoconstituents present in the extract, particularly tannins, phenols and terpenoids. Overall, the findings suggest that the ethanolic flower extract of Crossandra infundibuliformis possesses promising concentration-dependent in-vitro anti-urolithiatic activity against calcium oxalate crystal aggregation. Further experimental studies are required to validate its therapeutic potential.