COMPARATIVE LITHOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF SOME EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL PLANTS

Abstract

The aim of the presented study was to investigate the litholytic activity of three groups of plant material that is most commonly encountered in daily life. These include medicinal plants: dyer’s madder (Rubia tinctórum L.), couch grass (Elymus repens L.); spice-aromatic plants: black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.); and fruit plants: rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.), wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.), sea buckthorn (Hippophaё rhamnoides L.), and pear (Pyrus communis L.). Methodology. The composition of stones removed endoscopically at O.F. Vozianov Institute of Urology was invstigated using infrared spectroscopy. The dissolution rate of calculi was analyzed applying Yachi L. and Benis S. Method – by exposing calculi to lectin-containing plant extracts in vitro and monitoring changes in their mass. Scientific novelty. The dynamics of phosphate, urate, and oxalate dissolution in lectin-containing extracts of some representatives of three plant groups were studied in vitro for the first time. Conclusions. The conducted research suggests that the use of dyer’s madder, against a diet rich in black pepper and peppermint, may serve as a preventive measure in cases of oxalaturia. In uraturia, the use of tea made from dyer’s madder combined with a diet including peppermint, sea buckthorn, and wild strawberry fruits appears to be justified. The mechanism of the effect of plant extracts on reducing calculus mass may be associated with the formation of chelate compounds with calcium. Polyphenolic compounds are likely to exhibit chelating properties. In cases of phosphaturia, it is advisable to use tea made from dyer’s madder and dietary supplements such as ginger, sea buckthorn, and wild strawberry.