Anti-Urolithiatic and Anti-Oxidant Effects of Fenugreek on Ethylene Glycol-Induced Kidney Calculi in Rats

Renal calculi formation is one of the most common urological disorders. Urinary stone disease is a common disease which affects 10-12% of the population in industrialized countries. The objective of the present study is to investigate the antiurolithiatic and antioxidant activity of fenugreek on ethylene glycol-induced urolithiasis in rats. Twenty male rats weighing 203-263 were used for this study. Group A animals received distilled water for 28 days. Group B to group D animals received 1% v/v ethylene glycol in distilled water for 28 days. Groups C and D received cystone and fenugreek, respectively, from day 15 to day 28. On day 28, blood was collected for serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and calcium level monitoring. Kidneys of rats from all the groups were removed, and histopathologically examined using Paraffin method. Samples of kidney were viewed under a scanning electron microscope. Histologically, the kidney of fenugreek treated group appeared mostly to be calculi-free, even better than the cystone treated group. Similarly, the calcium oxalate deposits, the serum (MDA), the renal tissue calcium content were all significantly lower than those in the other groups. The results of the present study suggest that fenugreek has a strong antiurolithiatic and antioxidant activity.