Biochemical evaluation of succinic acid therapy in urolithiasis.

Reports of Melon et al. [7] and Hodgkinson [4] regarding the efficacy of succinic acid or its derivative (salt) in reducing the endogenous synthesis of oxalate are conflicting. The possible application of succinic acid as a potential inhibitor of oxalate synthesis, and the biochemical alterations resulting therein, has been studied in 10 idiopathic stone-forming patients (6 primary stone-formers and 4 recurrent stone-formers) and in 21 normal adult rats. In rats no significant changes in oxalate excretion were observed during the 4 weeks of succinic acid administration (500 mg/100 g BW/day) and 2 weeks therafter. In the clinical trial of 3 months, where stone-formers were given 20 g/day of succinic acid, the post-therapy values of urinary oxalate excretion showed a singificant drop ( less than 0.001) as compared with those of pretherapy--recurrent stone-formers showing a more marked decrease (63%) than primary stone-formers (49%).