Effect of Some Algerian Saharan Medicinal Plants on Brushite Crystallization in Artificial Urine

Brushite (DCPD) is considered one of the most important types of phosphate kidney stones, it easily forms large, well-developed crystals well suited for morphological studies. The extracts effect of medicinal plants on brushite crystallization was studied in vitro for nine species used in Algerian Sahara traditional pharmacopoeia, which are: Salsola sp, Launaea arborescens, Panicum turgidium, Artemisia campestris, Zea mays L, Zizyphus lotus, Cynodon dactylon L, Zilla macroptera and Tamarix galica.

Experiments were carried out at 37°C with acidic pH (6.5). The initial pH, temperature, agitation and concentration of constituents were kept constant during a reaction time of 6 h. The effect of aqueous and organic extracts of the selected plants on the morphology of brushite crystals was studied by optical polarizing microscopy, image analysis, micrometric measurement, FTIR spectroscopic analysis.

Most extracts have significant inhibitory effects. Total inhibition of DCPD crystallization presented by nine extracts of six plants: methanolic extract of Salsola sp, Zilla macroptera and Tamarix galica, ethanolic extract of Zizyphus lotus and Artemisia campestris, Acetonic extract of Zizyphus lotus and Salsola sp, chloroforme extract of Zizyphus lotus and Zilla macroptera. Total inhibition of crystalline aggregation observed for acetonic extract of Zea mays L and methanolic extract of Zizyphus lotus. While the other extracts slow the kinetics of DCPD crystallization up to 240 minutes. In addition, the most extracts give a considerable inhibition of the crystals size, in which, the mean crystal size decreased from 6 μm to 1-3 μm. Even inhibitory effect for the aggregation phase noted for all plant extracts especially, Cynodon dactylon L and Zea mays L presented a very important inhibition, in which, the mean aggregate size decreased from 55 μm to 5-7 μm.

The selected plant extracts showed a significant inhibitory effect on brushite crystallization presented as total inhibition of all crystallization phases. For the other extracts, the effect manifested in the decrease of the size and the number of crystals and aggregates brushite.