Cucumis callosus (Rottl.) Cogn. fruit extract ameliorates calcium oxalate urolithiasis in ethylene glycol induced hyperoxaluric Rat model.

Cucumis callosus dry fruits are traditionally used as folk remedy to treat conditions like urethral irritations, urine stoppage or dribbling and other urinary ailments of man in north-west India. But no study is reported to validate this ethnic practice of using Cucumis fruit in urolithiasis. To evaluate anti-urolithiatic potential of Cucumis, hyperoxaluria was induced in rats by supplying 0.75% ethylene glycol (EG) + 1% ammonium chloride (AC) in drinking water for 14 days. Anti-urolithiatic activity of Cucumis callosus hydro-ethanolic extract (CCHEE) was assessed by measuring blood and urine biochemical parameters, oxidative stress indices, histopathology and osteopontin (OPN) expression. Administration of EG-AC to rats caused hyperoxaluria, crystalluria, azotaemia, oxidant/antioxidant imbalance (increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO), and decrease in glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT)), up-regulation of OPN and calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal deposition in kidney. Treatment of afflicted rats with Cucumis fruits extract restored renal function to a great extent (CCHEE group), testified by improvement of stated parameters. Findings demonstrate curative efficacy of Cucumis fruit extract in EG induced urolithiasis of rats. The restoration of renal function was possibly by regulating renal stone formation via reducing urinary oxalate excretion, correcting oxidant/antioxidant imbalances, and reduced expression of OPN. Hence, results of this study validate the ethnic practice of using Cucumis fruit and conclude that fruit extracts have beneficial effects on CaOx urolithiasis and renal function.

Case Report: Congenital tuberculosis in an aborted dromedary camel fetus.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious public health problem worldwide, especially in tropical developing countries. Nevertheless, reports on congenital TB in humans and animals are extremely rare. In this study, abortion was reported in an 8-year-old she-camel at the 9th month of gestation. The she-camel appeared healthy in clinical examination, had a good body condition score, normal appetite, and had no signs of respiratory disease and fever. The expelled placenta was dark red-colored, thickened, and edematous with multifocal to coalescing ecchymotic hemorrhages on the allantoic surface. The striking finding was multiple, white-yellow, solid nodular lesions in the fetal lung, the pleura, and the liver. On histopathology, typical granulomatous lesions were detected in the lung and the liver characterized by caseous necrosis surrounded by lymphocyte and macrophage infiltration and concentric layers of fibrosis. The Ziehl-Neelsen staining detected scarce acid-fast bacilli in lung and liver tissues. The DNA extracted from tubercular lesions from the lung and liver showed amplification of the IS6110 region of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by PCR. The sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed a close association of these sequences with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The she-camel was detected positive for a single intradermal tuberculin test performed 24 h after abortion. This is the first report on congenital TB caused by M. tuberculosis in a dromedary camel fetus with a possible vertical transmission.

Urokinase alteration and its correlation with disease severity and oxidative/nitrosative stress in buffalo calves with obstructive urolithiasis.

The present study was aimed to understand the development of bovine urolithiasis through measuring oxidative/nitrosative, cortisol and urokinase status and their relationship with disease severity. The cases of buffalo calves with obstructive urolithiasis were selected based on clinical signs, ultrasonography and laboratory examination of blood and urine (creatinine, urea nitrogen). Total 35 urolithiatic buffalo calves (urolithiatic controls) and 6 healthy calves (healthy controls) were used for study. Further, calves of urolithiatic control were sub-divided into two groups based on disease severity: mild (n = 10) and severe (n = 25) form. Oxidative/nitrosative stress were evaluated based on serum malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), nitric oxide (NO) parameters. Serum cortisol was evaluated to measure stress hormone status. Serum and urine urokinase were measured and its relationship with disease severity and oxidative/nitrosative stress were established. Obstructive urolithiasis resulted in significant (p < .05) increase in biochemical parameters (creatinine, urea nitrogen), oxidant/antioxidant imbalance (increased MDA, and increased GST), nitrosative stress (increased nitric oxide), upregulated stress hormone (cortisol) in serum and elevated urokinase in serum and urine (p < .05) as compared to healthy controls. In non-parametric Kendall rank correlation (p < .01), a positive correlation was established between urokinase level and disease severity (urolithiasis). It is concluded that in bovine obstructive urolithiasis, increased oxidative/nitrosative stress, cortisol and urokinase play a significant role. The urokinase can help to understand pathophysiology of bovine urolithiasis because of having positive correlation with disease severity (urolithiasis) and stress markers.

Alteration in Oxidative/nitrosative imbalance, histochemical expression of osteopontin and antiurolithiatic efficacy of Xanthium strumarium (L.) in ethylene glycol induced urolithiasis.

Xanthium strumarium has traditionally been used in the treatment of urolitiasis especially by the rural people in India, but its antiurolithiatic efficacy was not explored scientifically till now. Therefore, the present study was designed to validate the ethnic practice scientifically, and explore the possible antiurolithiatic effect to rationalize its medicinal use. Urolitiasis was induced in hyperoxaluric rat model by giving 0.75% ethylene glycol (EG) for 28days along with 1% ammonium chloride (AC) for first 14days. Antiurolithiatic effect of aqueous-ethanol extract of Xanthium strumarium bur (xanthium) was evaluated based on urine and serum biochemistry, oxidative/nitrosative stress indices, histopathology, kidney calcium and calcium oxalate content and immunohistochemical expression of matrix glycoprotein, osteopontin (OPN). Administration of EG and AC resulted in hyperoxaluria, crystalluria, hypocalciuria, polyurea, raised serum urea, creatinine, erythrocytic lipid peroxidise and nitric oxide, kidney calcium content as well as crystal deposition in kidney section in lithiatic group rats. However, xanthium treatment significantly restored the impairment in above kidney function test as that of standard treatment, cystone. The up-regulation of OPN was also significantly decreased after xanthium treatment. The present findings demonstrate the curative efficacy of xanthium in ethylene glycol induced urolithiasis, possibly mediated through inhibition of various pathways involved in renal calcium oxalate formation, antioxidant property and down regulation of matrix glycoprotein, OPN. Therefore, future studies may be established to evaluate its efficacy and safety for clinical use.