Evaluating the efficacy of cherry stem extracts against calcium oxalate monohydrate crystallization in kidney stone treatment

Urethritis is one of the oldest known diseases of urinary stone formation. Urinary system stone disease ranks third among urinary diseases after urinary infection and prostate diseases. Calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals are known to be the main cause of urinary tract and kidney stones. In addition to the fact that surgical methods and drug treatments used in the treatment of kidney stones are painful and costly, the fact that traditionally used herbs are thought to be natural and harmless, has led to an increased interest in herbal medicines in recent years. Dried cherry stems have diuretic properties and can be used in the treatment of kidney stones reported in Iranian Traditional Medicine documents. When infused in hot water, they can be used as an herbal remedy in the treatment of high blood pressure and kidney stone disease. In the light of this information, in this study, the effects of cherry stem extracts as a natural additive on the growth of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals, which is of great importance in investigating the crystallization mechanism in terms of biomineralization, was investigated in vitro. Structural characterizations of CaOx crystals were performed by FT-IR analyses, and morphological characterization and morphological changes were investigated by SEM images. The in vitro inhibitory effect of extracts of natural additives on calcium oxalate crystallization was determined by the time course of concentration measured in solution at extract concentrations of 0.5, 1, 5, 10 and 50 mL. Our findings demonstrate that cherry stem extracts significantly inhibit COM crystal growth and promote the formation of calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD) crystals, which are more easily excreted from the body. © 2024 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Union of Chemists in Bulgaria.