Melamine-induced urolithiasis in a Drosophila model.

Melamine-tainted food can induce renal stones in both humans and animals. We have previously reported a novel Drosophila model for the study of renal stone disease. In addition to hyperoxaluria-causing agents, we also tested herein the effect of melamine on crystal formation in Drosophila . The results indicate that administration of melamine alone caused crystal formation in a dose-dependent manner. The crystals also appeared after ingestion of melamine for 3 weeks in the Malpighian tubules of Drosophila when viewed with polarized light. Administration of potassium citrate (K citrate) was found to significantly ameliorate the melamine-induced reduction of lifespan. However, administration of K citrate failed to reduce the quantity of crystals. Because calcium oxalate is not the major crystal induced by melamine, the predominant components of melamine-induced crystals and the potential crystal inhibitors warrant further investigation.