Volume No : (2013) Volume : 01 Issue : 4 Year : 2013 Page No: 172-176
Authors : Tanzeer Kaur, Ankita
Abstract :
Urolithiasisis a disease afflicting mankind since centuries and is a universal health problemeven today. Many plants are being used as a traditional medicine for thetreatment of urolithiasis. In recent years there has been a resurgence ofinterest in such medicinal plants. Five plants Cocos nucifera,Achyranthes aspera, Zingiber officinale, Terminalia arjuna and Carumcopticum were selected based on their use since ancient time forurolithiasis treatment. The extract of these plants were analyzed and comparedfor their anticalcifying ability using homogenous system of mineralization.Their effect was studied on initial mineral phase formation, growth anddemineralization of preformed mineral phase. Of all five plants, Terminaliaarjuna showed the maximum inhibitory potency followed by Cocos nucifera andCarum copticum which possess moderate ability to inhibit mineralization,followed by Achyranthes aspera and Zingiber officinale. Although Achyranthesaspera showed about 90% inhibitory potency towards initial mineral phaseformation, its ability to inhibit growth and cause demineralization of preformedmineral phase was negligible. The exact mechanism by which these plants inhibitmineralization is not understood, but it could be suggested that these plantshave biomolecules possessing the activity to inhibit mineralization. There aremore than one biomolecules responsible for this action. In Achyranthesaspera, Terminalia arjuna and Carum copticum biomolecules havingmolecular weight more than and less than 10 kD possess comparable inhibitorypotential. On the other hand in Cocos nucifera and Zingiberofficinale the biomolecule(s) having molecular weight less than 10 kD havehigher inhibitory potency.
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