Phytochemical Investigation and Anti-urolithiatic Activities of Bergenia ciliata and Macrotyloma uniflorum

Kidney stones or urolithiasis, a complex, multifactorial disease resulting from a succession of several physiochemical events affects 10-12% of the human population globally. Although kidney stones vary widely in their composition but calcium oxalate stones form the predominant kidney stones. So far several plants and their extracts have been studied for their anti-urolithiatic properties. The present work provides a study of anti-urolithiatic properties of the purified aqueous seeds extract of Macrotyloma uniflorum and ethanolic leaves extract of Bergenia ciliata. Phytochemical analyses of B. ciliata and M. uniflorum were performed which showed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, tannins, phenols, and steroids as major phytoconstituents. On determining their antioxidant properties, M. uniflorum displayed the maximum free radical scavenging activity. Promising anti-urolithiatic activities against calcium oxalate stones under in vitro conditions were displayed by both the plant extracts and hence they appeared to be potential therapeutic candidates to prevent urolithiasis.