Department of Pharmacy, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Faculty of Medicinal Plant and Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
Faculty of Medicinal Plant and Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2024 May 23;326:117968. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.117968. Epub 2024 Feb 28.
Urolithiasis is one of the oldest and most widespread urological diseases suffered globally. In the long history of Traditional Chinese Medicine, there're numerous herbs documented with strangury-relieving properties playing crucial roles in treating various urological disorders, including dysuria, hematuria, and renal colic, etc., which may be caused by urolithiasis. Exploring these herbs may reveal safer, more effective, and cost-efficient drugs and therapies for urolithiasis.
This study aims to assess the anti-urolithiasis efficacy and safety of 46 Chinese traditional and folk herbal drugs using the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) kidney stone model, in order to identify the most valuable ethnomedicinal materials.
Water extract and 50% ethanol extract of each herb were prepared respectively. 0.2% (w/w) sodium oxalate was chosen as appropriate lithogenic agent through fruit fly life span study. Male fruit-flies within three days of emergence were aged for an additional three days, then were randomly divided into experimental groups, model group and control groups (n = 20). The flies in blank control group, model group and positive control group were fed with standard food, standard food containing 0.2% sodium oxalate, standard food containing 0.2% sodium oxalate and 3% (w/w) Garcinia cambogia extract, respectively. Meanwhile, flies in the experimental groups were raised on standard food containing 0.2% sodium oxalate and 3% (w/w) herbal extract. The anti-urolithiasis capability of the extracts was evaluated using stone area ratio (the stone area divided by the area of the Malpighian tubule) and stone-clearing rate. Additionally, the 7-day mortality rate was employed as an indicator of safety.
Out of the 46 herbs, 24 exhibited significant anti-urolithiasis effects in their water extracts. Among them, Herba Nephrolepidis, Herba Humuli, Herba Desmodii Styracifolii, Cortex Plumeriae Rubrae, and Herba Mimosae Pudicae showed us a low 7-day mortality rate of fruit-flies as well. However, only a limited number of herbal extracts (8 out of 46) showed obvious anti-urolithiasis activity in their 50% ethanol extracts.
Highly potential anti-urolithiasis candidates were discovered from strangury-relieving herbs recorded in classical Traditional Chinese Medicine works, highlighting the significant value of traditional and folk ethnopharmacological knowledge.
尿石症是全球范围内最古老、最普遍的泌尿科疾病之一。在中医药的悠久历史中，有许多具有利尿作用的草药被记录下来，这些草药在治疗各种泌尿科疾病方面发挥着重要作用，包括尿痛、血尿和肾绞痛等，这些疾病可能是由尿石症引起的。探索这些草药可能会为尿石症发现更安全、更有效、更具成本效益的药物和疗法。
本研究旨在利用果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）肾结石模型评估 46 种中国传统和民间草药的抗肾结石功效和安全性，以确定最有价值的民族医学材料。
分别制备各草药的水提取物和 50%乙醇提取物。通过果蝇寿命研究选择 0.2%（w/w）草酸钠作为合适的成石剂。孵育 3 天的雄性果蝇再饲养 3 天，然后随机分为实验组、模型组和对照组（n=20）。空白对照组、模型组和阳性对照组的果蝇分别喂食标准食物、含 0.2%草酸钠的标准食物、含 0.2%草酸钠和 3%（w/w）藤黄提取物的标准食物。同时，实验组的果蝇饲养在含有 0.2%草酸钠和 3%（w/w）草药提取物的标准食物上。使用结石面积比（结石面积除以马氏管面积）和结石清除率评估提取物的抗结石能力。此外，7 天死亡率被用作安全性指标。
在 46 种草药中，有 24 种水提取物具有显著的抗结石作用。其中，肾叶鹿蹄草、葎草、木防己、紫薇皮和含羞草表现出较低的果蝇 7 天死亡率。然而，只有少数几种草药提取物（46 种中的 8 种）在其 50%乙醇提取物中表现出明显的抗结石活性。
从经典中医药著作中记录的利尿草药中发现了具有高潜力的抗结石候选药物，突出了传统和民间民族药理学知识的重要价值。
